BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS MAY 15, 2017 | PAGE 1 OF 20

INSIDE

Beard Bash: Stapleton, Combs Lead Key Charts

>page 4

Awards Onslaught: Maren, Sturgill,

Kelsea >page 9

LoCash, Hunter Hayes Up On The Roof

>page 10

Makin’ Tracks: Jon Pardi’s ‘Heartache On

The Dance Floor’ >page 14

Stark Report: Meaty Topics Return To

Country Radio >page 15

Country Coda: B.J. Thomas’ First

Country No. 1 >page 20

When promoters called the booking agents for Tim McGraw and Florida Georgia Line about headlining the last two days of the Carolina Country Music Festival in 2016, both reps gave a definitive “no” — then decided that maybe they would check.

McGraw and FGL ended up agreeing to the dates, which represented a new form of competition for the Country Music Association. That second annual Caro-lina Fest — held in Myrtle Beach, S.C., with the Atlantic Ocean serving as the stage backdrop — joined the Taste of Country Music Festival at New York’s Hunter Mountain Resort as multinight events that battle the long-established CMA Music Festival head-to-head for talent during the same four-day stretch.

It seems an unfair competition. The CMA festival, which was founded in 1972, is considered a genre- promoting event and does not compensate its artists, who some-times lose money by paying their bands and other incidental expenses. The Carolina and Taste of Country events are paying gigs, so they would seemingly be prioritized.

In fact, the CMA is still apparently considered the most im-portant among acts. Chris Young will play all three festivals on successive days this year: June 9, for roughly 18,000 fans at Taste of Country; June 10, for more than 50,000 at the CMA Fest; and June 11, for more than 20,000 at the Carolina Fest.

Plenty of other acts are playing the CMA Fest and one of the other two events, including Miranda Lambert, Sam Hunt,

Darius Rucker, Maren Morris, Chris Lane and Brett Young.“I think they are happy that they have a chance to get a pay-

check during a week that they normally don’t tour,” says Full House Productions president Bob Durkin, who oversees the Carolina Fest. “It’s a primetime summer weekend, and that’s when country music seems to flourish.”

“What I think is pretty cool is that there’s actually enough fans to support three [country] festivals that weekend,” says CMA CEO Sarah Trahern.

The competition did not happen by de-sign. The local calendar drove the dates in Myrtle Beach and Hunter Mountain. In Carolina, the festival was slated two weeks after Memorial Day weekend, al-lowing the city time to recover from an

annual biker gathering. In upstate New York, Taste of Country was slated one weekend after the tenured Mountain Jam rock festival, similar to the back-to-back Coachella and Stagecoach festivals held in Indio, Calif., in April.

Both the Carolina and Taste festivals landed on a different weekend than CMA Fest when they debuted, but they’ve fallen on the same weekend ever since. That creates some logisti-cal issues. It’s beneficial to announce at least one headliner for the following year at the close of an event, but even the acts that commit to the festival may not settle on a specific date until the CMA determines its rundown after the first of the year.

Heads Carolina, Tails Taste Of Country: CMA Music Fest Has Competition

BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE Tom.Roland@billboard.com

Country Update

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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MAY 15, 2017 | PAGE 2 OF 20

“Often they’ll wait, or they’ll say, ‘We can give you Sunday night, but we can’t give you Saturday because we would rather play Saturday at CMA,’ or something like that,” says Townsquare executive vp live events Dhruv Prasad, whose department books Taste of Country among numerous festivals for the radio-centered company. “It’s a little bit of back and forth, but there’s no ques-tion it’s tough.”

The CMA Festival has a number of selling points, despite its free status. The most obvious is the annual ABC TV special, CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock, which mostly allows performers booked at Nissan Stadium to reach millions of fans in August. That special has also gone international and is carried in an estimated 40 countries, according to Trahern, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, South Africa and Norway.

Additionally, artists have the opportunity to book related fan-focused activities, including autograph signings at the Music City Center, fan club parties or numerous intimate benefits in the city’s thriving club scene. At least half of the revenue from CMA Fest is donated to music-education programs. And at the end of the day, since most country artists are based in Nashville, the majority end up sleeping in their own beds instead of a bus bunk.

“CMAs are the monster of country music festivals,” says Durkin. “And Nashville’s their hometown, so we’ll be able to accommodate the artists, no matter what.”

Location is a key factor in making Taste of Country and the Carolina Fest work. Both are in the eastern region of the United States, less than 16 hours away from Nashville by bus, and thus reachable.

“The only travel snafu I can remember happening at the [Taste] festival was one year Randy Houser’s bus broke down on the way,” recalls Prasad. “He ended up playing the whole show, him and a guitar player, totally acoustic. They did a 60-minute set, and it was lights-out good. It was one of my favorite moments of Taste of Country, actually.”

Country festivals aren’t the only competition for CMA Music Fest. The mul-tigenre Bonnaroo Music Festival usually overlaps with CMA in Manchester, Tenn., 60 miles from Nashville. LANco, Luke Combs, Cam, Tucker Beathard and Margo Price are all on this year’s Bonnaroo schedule.

“I like to see country artists peppering the lineup at Bonnaroo,” says Tra-hern. “I think that country artists out there help promote the genre.”

That said, if any other promoters should eye that second weekend in June for a country festival, they’re likely to hit a wall, says Prasad.

“If I were going to do a new festival, I think you almost have to back it up into April and take more chances on weather or back it up into September,” he says.

CMA Music Fest has its own potential scheduling issue on tap this year. The NHL’s Predators are in the Western Conference finals and have a chance to advance to the Stanley Cup. CMT has already moved its June 7 awards show to the Music City Center, freeing up Bridgestone Arena for the Preds.

Says Trahern, “It’ll be wild in downtown Nashville if it takes.”And for the artists that might miss the game while they’re in Myrtle Beach

or upstate New York? That’s one scheduling conflict no one was predicting.

Brad Paisley (center) hosted a viewing for his visual album Love and War at the Regal L.A. Live Theater, presented by KKGO Los Angeles. He’s shown with KKGO station manager/PD Michael Levine (left) and John Fogerty.

Vince Gill (left) took part in the ceremony as Nashville Mayor Megan Barry proclaimed May 10 Ryman Auditorium Day in the city in celebration of the venue’s 125th anniversary. They are pictured with Ryman Hospitality Properties chairman/CEO Colin Reed.

Mo Pitney, Lindsay Ell and SaraBeth raised more than $200,000 during a fundraiser for the nonprofit Parenting Today’s Teens radio show at the Westin Galleria in Dallas. From left: Pitney, SaraBeth, Heartlight Ministries founder/CEO Mark Gregston and Ell. G

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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MAY 15, 2017 | PAGE 4 OF 20

Chris Stapleton’s From A Room: Volume 1 (Mercury/Universal Music Group Nashville) arrives atop Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart (dated May 27), earning 219,000 equivalent albums (202,000 of those in pure sales) in its first week (ending May 11), according to Nielsen Music.

It launches at No. 1 on Billboard’s all-genre Top Album Sales list and No. 2 on the all-genre, consumption-based Billboard 200.

The 202,000 copies that Room sold mark Stapleton’s strongest sales week to date. It’s the largest sales week for a country artist since Luke Bryan’s Kill the Lights sold 320,000 in its debut week (Aug. 29, 2015).

On Top Country Albums, Stapleton owns the top two positions, as his debut album, Traveller, lifts 3-2 (24,000 units, up 67 percent). (The set has spent 28 weeks atop Top Country Albums and two atop the Billboard 200, selling 1.9 million copies to date.) Stapleton’s hold on the Top Country Albums chart’s top two slots marks only the second such double-up this decade. On Dec. 31, 2016, Garth Brooks’ 10-CD box set The Ultimate Collection entered at No. 1, directly above his holiday set with wife Trisha Yearwood, Christmas Together, at No. 2.

Before Brooks, no artist had held down No. 1 and No. 2 on Top Country Albums simultaneously since Feb. 7, 2009, when Taylor Swift led with Fearless while her self-titled debut ranked at No. 2.

The last male artist to command the top two in the same week on Top Country Albums prior to Stapleton and Brooks? Almost 24 years ago, on the July 10, 1993, chart, Billy Ray Cyrus bowed at the summit with It Won’t Be the Last as his first LP, Some Gave All, took second place. (Click here to hear the latest Billboard Chart Beat podcast with special guest Cyrus.)

Stapleton co-penned eight of the nine songs on From a Room: Volume 1. The album was produced by Dave Cobb — who also produced Traveller — and was recorded at Nashville’s Studio A. It’s the first of two new planned Stapleton sets, with Volume 2 due later this year.

Lead single “Either Way” debuts at No. 17 on Hot Country Songs, sparked by its No. 3 start on Country Digital Song Sales (23,000 sold).

‘HURRICANE’ HITS “Hurricane” (River House/Columbia Nashville), the debut single from Luke Combs, ascends 2-1 in its 30th week on Country Airplay, in-creasing 6 percent to 47.6 million. Combs is the first artist to reign with a first

entry on the chart since Granger Smith, whose “Back-road Song” crowned the survey dated Feb. 27, 2016.

“Growing up in North Carolina, I discovered and fell in love with country music through the radio. That shaped so much of my life,” Combs tells Billboard. “So it’s a full-circle moment to have country radio’s strong support of my music and carrying it to fans. I want to thank them for truly changing the game for me.”

Combs’ debut full-length, This One’s for You, is due June 2.

NEW TOP 10s Florida Georgia Line’s “God, Your Mama, and Me” (BMLG Records), featuring Back-street Boys, hops 11-9 on Hot Country Songs, fueled by its 13 percent increase to 27.6 million in airplay; on Country Airplay, it strides 10-9.

The song is FGL’s 13th Hot Country Songs top 10 (in as many tries, counting officially promoted singles) and BSB’s first (in their first trip to the chart). Backstreet Boys have now gone where fellow hit-making boy band ’N Sync first did: the top 10 of Hot Country Songs. ’N Sync hit No. 3 on the chart in August 1999 as featured

on Alabama’s remake of “God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You”; ’N Sync’s original unaccompanied version reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1999.

Additionally, Blake Shelton banks his 28th Country Airplay top 10, as “Every Time I Hear That Song” (Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville) pushes 11-10, up 15 percent to 25.4 million in audience.

Top Country Albums Makes ‘Room’ At No. 1 For Stapleton; Combs

Storms Country Airplay Summit

ON THE CHARTS JIM ASKER jim.asker@billboard.com

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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MAY 15, 2017 | PAGE 6 OF 20

THIS WEEK

LAST WEEK

WKS ON

CHART TITLE Imprint/Label ArtistAUDIENCE (IN MILLIONS) PLAYS

THIS WEEK +/– THIS WEEK +/– RANK

l1 2 30 HURRICANE River House/Columbia Nashville HH No. 1 ( 1 week) HH Luke Combs 47.622 +2.709 8429 445 1

2 1 15 BODY LIKE A BACK ROAD MCA Nashville Sam Hunt 43.703 -1.677 7406 -561 4

l3 3 23 IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW BMLG HH Most Increased Audience HH Brett Young 43.260 +5.270 7682 699 2

l4 5 32 YEAH BOY Black River Kelsea Ballerini 39.827 +2.045 7409 308 3

l5 4 27 BLACK Capitol Nashville Dierks Bentley 39.195 +1.381 7047 271 5

l6 8 43 IF I TOLD YOU Capitol Nashville Darius Rucker 32.346 +4.103 5840 642 7

l7 7 43 THE WEEKEND Valory Brantley Gilbert 30.526 +0.515 6227 228 6

l8 9 33 HOW NOT TO Warner Bros./WAR Dan + Shay 30.410 +2.137 5810 513 8

l9 10 18 GOD, YOUR MAMA, AND ME BMLG Florida Georgia Line Featuring Backstreet Boys 27.604 +3.173 4811 377 9

l10 11 13 EVERY TIME I HEAR THAT SONG Warner Bros./WMN Blake Shelton 25.428 +3.319 4454 345 10

l11 12 14 THE FIGHTER Hit Red/Capitol Nashville Keith Urban Featuring Carrie Underwood 24.011 +1.790 4329 284 11

l12 13 19 YOURS IF YOU WANT IT Big Machine Rascal Flatts 22.162 +1.509 4163 226 13

l13 14 37 MY GIRL Curb Dylan Scott 21.856 +1.657 4200 227 12

l14 16 7 CRAVING YOU Valory Thomas Rhett Featuring Maren Morris 21.405 +3.544 3695 514 17

l15 15 17 YOU LOOK GOOD Capitol Nashville Lady Antebellum 20.371 +1.337 4032 177 14

l16 17 18 FLATLINER Warner Bros./WMN Cole Swindell 19.540 +2.117 4011 348 15

l17 18 16 DRINKIN’ PROBLEM Big Machine Midland 19.071 +2.799 3786 416 16

l18 19 15 MY OLD MAN Southern Ground/Elektra/WAR Zac Brown Band 15.528 +0.799 3307 169 19

l19 20 29 SOMEBODY ELSE WILL Valory Justin Moore 15.388 +1.428 3472 181 18

l20 21 8 SPEAK TO A GIRL McGraw/Arista Nashville HH Airpower HH Tim McGraw & Faith Hill 14.068 +1.807 3016 180 20

l21 22 10 NO SUCH THING AS A BROKEN HEART RCA Nashville Old Dominion 11.712 +1.451 2481 297 21

l22 25 25 DO I MAKE YOU WANNA Mercury Billy Currington 9.648 +1.752 2194 215 24

l23 23 32 FOR HER Big Loud Chris Lane 9.386 +0.092 2282 62 23

l24 24 18 IT AIN’T MY FAULT EMI Nashville Brothers Osborne 9.012 +1.030 2477 265 22

l25 27 13 MORE GIRLS LIKE YOU MCA Nashville Kip Moore 6.344 +1.135 1722 327 25

l26 33 21 MAKIN’ ME LOOK GOOD AGAIN Dot/BMLG Drake White 5.487 +1.110 1328 126 28

l27 28 12 SOMETHIN’ I’M GOOD AT Atlantic/WMN Brett Eldredge 5.338 +0.321 1557 216 26

l28 35 10 SMALL TOWN BOY Broken Bow Dustin Lynch 4.994 +0.938 1307 195 29

l29 34 9 I COULD USE A LOVE SONG Columbia Nashville Maren Morris 4.878 +0.567 1266 149 31

30 29 24 MISSING Warner Bros./WMN William Michael Morgan 4.588 -0.084 992 -8 37

Country Airplay AIRPLAY MONITORED BY

BILLBOARD COUNTRY AIRPLAY PANEL — 151 STATIONSAlbany, N.Y. WGNAAlbuquerque, N.M. KBQI KRSTAllentown, Pa. WCTOAtlanta WKHX WUBLAugusta, Ga. WKXCAustin, Texas KASEBakersfield, Calif. KUZZBaltimore WPOCBaton Rouge, La. WYNKBirmingham, Ala. WDXB WZZKBoise, Idaho KAWO KIZNBoston WBWL WKLBBuffalo, N.Y. WYRKCharleston, S.C. WCKN WEZLCharlotte, N.C. WKKT WSOCChattanooga, Tenn. WUSYChicago WEBG WUSNCincinnati WUBECleveland WGARColorado Springs, Colo. KATCColumbia, S.C. WCOSColumbus, Ohio WCOLCorpus Christi, Texas KRYSDallas KPLX KSCSDenver KWOF KYGODes Moines, Iowa KHKI

Detroit WDRQ WYCDEl Paso, Texas KHEYFt. Myers, Fla. WCKT WWGRFt. Wayne, Ind. WQHKFresno, Calif. KSKSGainesville, Fla. WOGKGrand Rapids, Mich. WBCTGreensboro, N.C. WTQRGreenville, S.C. WSSLHarrisburg, Pa. WRBTHartford, Conn. WWYZHouston KILT KKBQHuntsville, Ala. WDRMIndianapolis WFMS WLHKJacksonville, Fla. WGNE WQIKJohnson City, Tenn. WXBQKansas City KBEQ WDAF KFKFKnoxville, Tenn. WCYQ WIVKLafayette, La. KMDLLakeland, Fla. WPCVLas Vegas KCYE KWNRLexington, Ky. WBULLittle Rock, Ark. KSSNLos Angeles KKGOLouisville, Ky. WAMZ WQNUMadison, Wis. WWQMMcAllen, Texas KTEX

Memphis WGKX WLFPMiami WKISMilwaukee WMILMinneapolis KEEY KMNBMobile, Ala. WKSJMonmouth/Ocean, N.J. WKMKMonterey, Calif.. KTOMNashville WKDF WSIX WSM-FMNassau, N.Y. WJVCNew Bern, N.C. WRNSNew Orleans WNOENew York WNSHNorfolk, Va. WGH WUSHOklahoma City, Okla. KJKE KTSTOmaha, Neb. KXKTOrlando, Fla. WWKAPhiladelphia WXTUPhoenix KMLE KNIXPittsburgh WDSY WOGI WPGBPortland, Maine WPOR WTHTPortland, Ore. KUPL KWJJProvidence, R.I. WCTKRaleigh, N.C. WNCB WQDRRichmond, Va. WKHKRiverside, Calif. KFRGRoanoke, Va. WSLC

Rochester, N.Y. WBEESacramento, Calif. KBEB KNCI KNTYSt. Louis KSD WILSalt Lake City KEGA KSOP KUBLSan Antonio, Texas KAJA KCYYSan Diego KSONSan Jose, Calif. KRTY KSJOSanta Rosa, Calif. KFGYSarasota, Fla. WCTQSeattle KKWF KMPSShreveport, La. KXKSSpokane, Wash. KXLYSpringfield, Mass. WRNXSpringfield, Mo. KTTSStockton, Calif. KATMSyracuse, N.Y. WBBSTampa, Fla. WFUS WQYKTucson, Ariz. KIIMTulsa, Okla. KTGX KVOO KWENVisalia, Calif. KJUGWashington, D.C. WMZQWest Palm Beach, Fla. WIRKWichita, Kan. KFDI KZSNWilkes Barre, Pa. WGGYWilmington, Del. WXCYYork, Pa. WGTY

BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MAY 15, 2017 | PAGE 7 OF 20

THIS WEEK

LAST WEEK

WKS ON

CHART TITLE Imprint/Label ArtistAUDIENCE (IN MILLIONS) PLAYS

THIS WEEK +/– THIS WEEK +/– RANK

l31 32 26 RING ON EVERY FINGER Reviver LOCASH 4.566 +0.008 1291 47 30

l32 31 29 THE WAY I TALK Big Loud Morgan Wallen 4.533 +0.065 1108 15 33

l33 38 3 HEARTACHE ON THE DANCE FLOOR Capitol Nashville Jon Pardi 4.375 +0.911 946 181 38

l34 37 16 A GIRL LIKE YOU Mercury Easton Corbin 4.190 +0.338 1391 234 27

l35 36 8 ASK ME HOW I KNOW Pearl Garth Brooks 4.135 +0.166 1234 105 32

36 30 19 OUTTA STYLE BIG Label Aaron Watson 3.937 -0.531 570 -14 49

l37 41 5 ROUND HERE BUZZ EMI Nashville Eric Church 3.697 +0.546 997 128 36

l38 39 9 EVERY LITTLE THING Big Machine HH Breaker HH Carly Pearce 3.665 +0.358 915 140 39

l39 42 6 TIN MAN Vanner/RCA Nashville Miranda Lambert 3.273 +0.260 751 0 43

40 26 2 EITHER WAY Mercury Chris Stapleton 3.186 -4.268 640 -441 47

l41 44 4 LAST TIME FOR EVERYTHING Arista Nashville Brad Paisley 3.174 +0.545 778 118 42

l42 46 13 WHAT IFS Zone 4/RCA Nashville Kane Brown Featuring Lauren Alaina 3.060 +0.402 863 94 40

l43 53 3 THEY DON’T KNOW Macon/Broken Bow HH Most Added HH Jason Aldean 3.017 +1.252 704 350 44

l44 47 19 WOKE UP IN NASHVILLE Arista Nashville Seth Ennis 3.007 +0.369 1108 3 34

l45 45 10 CALIFORNIA B$R/Thirty Tigers/New Revolution Big & Rich 2.983 +0.312 1016 120 35

l46 43 14 JUST A PHASE Stoney Creek Adam Craig 2.845 +0.037 821 5 41

l47 49 6 HAPPY PEOPLE Capitol Nashville HH Breaker HH Little Big Town 2.707 +0.460 668 37 45

l48 48 2 SHE’S WITH ME Atlantic/WEA High Valley 2.622 +0.262 496 74 55

l49 50 5 LOVE AGAIN Nash Next/Valory Todd O’Neill 2.239 -0.023 502 35 53

l50 51 2 TIL TOMORROW Wheelhouse Walker McGuire 2.178 +0.145 535 40 52

l51 54 4 GOOD COMPANY RCA Nashville Jake Owen 2.075 +0.387 555 96 50

l52 52 11 GREATEST LOVE STORY Arista Nashville LANCO 2.058 +0.083 631 51 48

53 55 3 YOURS Triple Tigers Russell Dickerson 1.385 -0.111 415 32 56

54 56 17 REBOUND Cold River/New Revolution Drew Baldridge Featuring Emily Weisband 1.290 -0.083 648 -7 46

l55 59 16 GETTING OVER YOU Broken Bow Jackie Lee 1.212 +0.114 548 -6 51

l56 RE-ENTRY ACT LIKE YOU DON’T Red Bow Brooke Eden 1.167 +0.247 498 37 54

l57 58 6 THEY CAN’T SEE Reviver Michael Tyler 1.137 +0.008 296 23 -

l58 NEW PREACHIN’ TO THE CHOIR BMLG HH Hot Shot Debut HH A THOUSAND HORSES 1.003 +0.188 339 18 58

l59 NEW LOSING SLEEP RCA Nashville Chris Young 0.950 +0.950 135 135 -

l60 NEW SUNDAY MORNING Stoney Creek Parmalee 0.934 +0.260 330 79 60

Country Airplay AIRPLAY MONITORED BY

5/22

CHRIS JANSON Fix A Drink Warner Bros./WAR

LAUREN ALAINA Doin’ Fine 19/Interscope/Mercury

PETE SCHLEGEL I Don’t Drink Anymore Pete Schlegel

SHARI ROWE Southern Spells Maven

5/29

BUBBA T’S HONKY TONK REVIVAL Drink All Day Amerimonte

CHRIS YOUNG Losing Sleep RCA Nashville

LINDSAY ELL Waiting On You Stoney Creek

MICKS Chasing Forever Nine North

GOING FOR ADDS

The singer-songwriter wrote her second Country Airplay entry with Car y Barlowe and

Jesse Frasure . It re-enters the survey at a new high of No. 56, jumping by 27 percent to

1.2 million audience impressions.

56BROOKE

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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MAY 15, 2017 | PAGE 8 OF 20

MOST ADDED®TITLE Imprint/Label Artist ADDSTHEY DON’T KNOW Macon/Broken Bow Jason Aldean 23MORE GIRLS LIKE YOU MCA Nashville Kip Moore 21EITHER WAY Mercury Chris Stapleton 21SOMETHIN’ I’M GOOD AT Atlantic/WMN Brett Eldredge 16WHAT IFS Zone 4/RCA Nashville Kane Brown Feat. Lauren Alaina 16HEARTACHE ON THE DANCE FLOOR Capitol Nashville Jon Pardi 16ASK ME HOW I KNOW Pearl Garth Brooks 12EVERY LITTLE THING Big Machine Carly Pearce 12A GIRL LIKE YOU Mercury Easton Corbin 11ROUND HERE BUZZ EMI Nashville Eric Church 11

MOST INCREASED PLAYSTITLE Imprint/Label Artist GAININ CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW BMLG Brett Young +699IF I TOLD YOU Capitol Nashville Darius Rucker +642CRAVING YOU Valory Thomas Rhett Featuring Maren Morris +514HOW NOT TO Warner Bros./WAR Dan + Shay +513HURRICANE River House/Columbia Nashville Luke Combs +445DRINKIN’ PROBLEM Big Machine Midland +416GOD, YOUR MAMA, AND ME BMLG Florida Georgia Line Featuring Backstreet Boys +377THEY DON’T KNOW Macon/Broken Bow Jason Aldean +350FLATLINER Warner Bros./WMN Cole Swindell +348EVERY TIME I HEAR THAT SONG Warner Bros./WMN Blake Shelton +345

MOST INCREASED AUDIENCETITLE Imprint/Label Artist

GAIN(IN MIILIONS)

IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW BMLG Brett Young +5.270IF I TOLD YOU Capitol Nashville Darius Rucker +4.103CRAVING YOU Valory Thomas Rhett Featuring Maren Morris +3.544EVERY TIME I HEAR THAT SONG Warner Bros./WMN Blake Shelton +3.319GOD, YOUR MAMA, AND ME BMLG Florida Georgia Line Feat. Backstreet Boys +3.173DRINKIN’ PROBLEM Big Machine Midland +2.799HURRICANE River House/Columbia Nashville Luke Combs +2.709HOW NOT TO Warner Bros./WAR Dan + Shay +2.137FLATLINER Warner Bros./WMN Cole Swindell +2.117YEAH BOY Black River Kelsea Ballerini +2.045

AIRPLAY MONITORED BY

BILLBOARD COUNTRY BOXSCOREGross Artist AttendanceTicket Price(s) Venue/Date(s) Capacity Promoter(s)

$1,322,826 ERIC CHURCH 16,736 MESSINA TOURING GROUP/AEG PRESENTS$129, $29 U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati/April 22 sellout

$1,173,548 ERIC CHURCH 18,138 MESSINA TOURING GROUP/AEG PRESENTS$89, $27 PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh/April 21 sellout

$1,123,152 ERIC CHURCH 16,461 MESSINA TOURING GROUP/AEG PRESENTS$99, $59 Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Conn./April 27-28 two sellouts

$1,081,681 ERIC CHURCH 14,447 MESSINA TOURING GROUP/AEG PRESENTS$89, $27 Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, S.C./May 6 sellout

$928,671 ERIC CHURCH 15,890 MESSINA TOURING GROUP/AEG PRESENTS$89, $25 Amalie Arena, Tampa/May 4 sellout

Reported worldwide boxscore figures for Country artists. Boxscore figures should be submitted to Bob Allen by phone (615-891-1976), fax (615-891-2054) or email (bob.allen@billboard.com).

TEXAS REGIONAL RADIO REPORTWEEK ENDING MAY 14, 2017

Texas Regional Radio Report Top 100 is compiled from weekly online playlist reports from 86 radio stations located in Texas and surrounding states, including reports from specialty shows, internet and satellite radio outlets. Songs are ranked by total plays. For tracking, complete chart methodology and more information, visit www.texasregionalradio.com, or contact Dave Smith at 817-283-7984. Copyright 2017, Texas Regional Radio Report

THIS WEEK

LAST WEEK

WKS ON CHART TITLE (Label) ARTIST

TW SPINS

SPINS +/–

l1 1 11 CREEK DON’T RISE (Bill Grease Rec) HH 2 weeks at 1 HH William Clark Green 1752 19

l2 2 13 WISH YOU WERE HERE (Independent) Cody Jinks 1667 56

l3 5 16 SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN (Independent) Drew Fish Band 1558 145

l4 4 11 DON’T FORGET WHERE YOU COME FROM (Independent) Kyle Park 1550 126

l5 8 7 WILD AS YOU (Independent) Cody Johnson 1476 176

l6 9 16 A LIFE WHERE WE WORK OUT (Independent) Flatland Cavalry 1460 162

l7 6 18 DEEP BLUE ME (Independent) Case Hardin 1422 56

l8 7 25 BEER PRESSURE (Independent) Bri Bagwell 1368 41

l9 11 13 HELLO WORLD (Texas Like That) Zane Williams 1303 57

l10 15 11 SECOND HAND SMOKE (Deep Creek Records) Sam Riggs 1303 131

THIS WEEK

LAST WEEK

WKS ON CHART TITLE (Label) ARTIST

TW SPINS

SPINS +/–

l11 10 21 PEOPLE LIKE ME (Independent) Dustin Sonnier 1291 26

l12 12 12 WHEN YOU LOVE SOMEBODY (Independent) Jamie Richards 1275 66

13 3 17 AMERICAN KID (PTO Records) Rich O’Toole 1253 -264

l14 17 9 RIGHT ABOUT NOW (Independent) Curtis Grimes 1162 106

l15 19 10 STONE (Independent) Whiskey Myers 1139 109

l16 23 6 CHANGE MY MIND (Independent) Josh Ward 1012 74

l17 22 7 TOO BAD (Independent) Kylie Frey f/Randy Rogers 997 59

l18 24 11 SHE’LL HAVE YOU BACK (Little Red Truck) Deryl Dodd w/ Roger Creager 993 85

19 14 16 A LOT OF ROOM TO TALK (Independent) Jake Worthington 983 -195

20 25 14 HEART BROKE (Big Valley) Pat Waters 961 59

RECURRENTSTHIS

WEEK TITLE Imprint/Label ArtistTOTAL AUD.

(IN MILLIONS)1 HOMETOWN GIRL MCA Nashville Josh Turner 26.047

2 DIRT ON MY BOOTS Capitol Nashville Jon Pardi 25.904

3 ANY OL’ BARSTOOL Macon/Broken Bow Jason Aldean 24.469

4 A GUY WITH A GIRL Warner Bros./WMN Blake Shelton 17.710

5 FAST Capitol Nashville Luke Bryan 17.538

6 MAY WE ALL BMLG Florida Georgia Line Featuring Tim McGraw 15.199

7 THINK A LITTLE LESS Atlantic/WEA Michael Ray 15.052

8 SEEIN’ RED Broken Bow Dustin Lynch 13.862

9 BETTER MAN Capitol Nashville Little Big Town 13.807

10 ROAD LESS TRAVELED 19/Interscope/Mercury Lauren Alaina 13.569

Country AirplayNEW AND ACTIVE

TITLE Imprint/Label ArtistTOTAL

AUDIENCETOTAL

STATIONS ADDSWHAT I WANNA BE Black River Jacob Davis 0.855 29 3

GOD MADE A WOMAN Curb Jerrod Niemann 0.809 38 3

11:59 (CENTRAL STANDARD TIME) Atlantic/WMN Railers 0.696 22 1

WATERED DOWN Wheelhouse Trace Adkins 0.663 25 1

A LONG AND HAPPY LIFE Valory Delta Rae 0.603 16 2

LIKE YOU THAT WAY Mercury Canaan Smith 0.520 26 3

BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MAY 15, 2017 | PAGE 9 OF 20

AND THE WINNERS ARE…A flurry of awards activity produced a slate of winners headed by Maren Morris and two nominee ballots for upcoming events in a 24-hour period last week.

Morris was the only double-winner as the Association of Independent Music Publishers gave out its second AIMP Nashville Awards on May 8 at the Ryman Auditorium. She claimed artist-writer of the year, while “Rich,” an album cut co-penned with Jessie Jo Dillon and Laura Veltz, nabbed the publisher’s pick. Additionally, Morris’ producer, busbee (“You Look Good,” “H.O.L.Y.”), locked down the trophy for independent writer of the year.

Nominees for both the CMT Music Awards and the Americana Honors & Awards were unveiled the next day. Kelsea Ballerini, Thomas Rhett and Keith Urban topped the CMT list with four nominations, while Carrie Un-derwood logged three entries. All four artists are among the 14 contenders for video of the year.

Sturgill Simpson leads the Americana pack with three nominations, includ-ing artist of the year; album, for A Sailor’s Guide to Earth; and song, for “All Around You.” Mentioned in two categories apiece were Drive-By Truckers and singer-songwriters Lori McKenna and Rodney Crowell.

Go here for the full list of AIMP winners, here for CMT finalists and here for the Americana nominees.

MOVERS & SHAKERSBeasley Media Group hired Heidi Raphael as vp corporate communications. She previously held a similar senior vp post at Greater Media. Reach her here … WYCD Detroit afternoon-drive co-host Holly Hutton added music director to her duties … Cumulus corporate country PD Brian Thomas agreed to a long-term extension with the company. His job titles also include vp classic

hits programming and classic hits WLS-FM Chi-cago PD … Cox Media Group hired Ashley Peter-son as its Atlanta-based senior director of human resources. She’ll oversee the department for Cox corporate as well as its Washington, D.C., news bureau and the rare.us website. Peterson was previously Discovery Communications group vp human resources management … Saga purchased eight South Carolina stations from Apex for $23 million. The deal includes one country outlet: WCKN Charleston … Compass Media picked up

The Country Club With Dee Jay Silver, effective May 15. It marks a return to the syndicator for Silver, who started with Compass before taking the show

to Sun Broadcast Group in late 2014. It’s heard on a reported 60 stations, in-cluding WMZQ Washington, D.C.; KCYE Las Vegas; and WQNU Louisville, Ky. … Rascal Flatts is the latest act to commit to a stint in middays on KKGO Los Angeles. While most artist fill-ins have lasted four weeks, Flatts will do two weeks in the daypart, beginning May 22 and ending June 2 … JoJo Turnbeaugh shifted to iHeartMedia/Denver regional senior vp programming, Talkers.com reported, from a similar role in the Nevada/Central California region. Country stations in his new territory include KCCY Pueblo-Colorado Springs and KIIX-AM Fort Collins in Colorado and KXBG Fort Collins-Cheyenne, Wyo. … Three personnel moves affect country stations in the New Orleans market, according to Talkers.com. WRKN assistant PD/afternoon personal-ity Shawn Williams severed ties with the station. Steve McNair was hired as iHeartMedia/New Orleans market president from KUBE-TV Houston, and Michael Hudson was promoted to iHeartMedia/New Orleans-Baton Rouge-area president from Baton Rouge market president. Relevant iHeart country stations include WNOE New Orleans and WYNK Baton Rouge … KORA Bryan-College Station, Texas, welcomes Rob Edwards as music director/afternoon host in June, InsideRadio.com reported. Currently doing mornings for WLWF La Salle-Peru, Ill., Edwards will replace Tim “J.R.” Hayes, who took the PD gig at KJDL Lubbock, Texas.

’ROUND THE ROWWarner Music Nashville promoted Tim Foisset to vp streaming from senior director … Hub International hired Shannon Bare as senior vp of its Nashville operation, where he’ll specialize in insurance and risk-management products for entertainment endeavors. He was previously Robertson Taylor/ Integro senior vp … Former Big Spark director of radio promotion Anne Weaver Price announced her departure from the music business in a Facebook post, opting to become a DS Services/Standard Coffee account executive. She spent 32 years in the industry … Dakota Lindstrom is now president of Break the Cycle Entertainment’s Songshine Media, representing Camille Rae and Clark Hill, among others. She was previously an AristoMedia publicity coordinator. Reach her here … A.C. Jones signed a recording deal with SSM Nashville, where Branch & Dean is the flagship act … Sound Emporium owner George Shinn gifted the studio to Lipscomb University’s College of Entertainment & the Arts. Among the artists who recorded there are Kenny Rogers, Merle Hag-gard and Alan Jackson … Artist- development firm Go Long Entertainment enlisted Kore Public Relations to handle media for its artists … Songwriter Patsy Bruce (“Texas When I Die,” “Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys”) established SongBird Tours, a Nashville tourist experience that combines songwriter-in-the-round performances and bus tours, begin-ning in June. Bruce is CEO. Songwriter Trey Bruce (“Someone Else’s Dream,” “How Your Love Makes Me Feel”) is chief creative officer. Customers can sign up here … Rascal Flatts’ Jay De-Marcus will host the inaugural Inno-vation in Music Awards on June 6 at the Westin Hotel in Nashville. War-ner Music Nashville chairman/CEO John Esposito will receive the first innovator of the year trophy … The Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID) hosts its 18th annual free crawfish boil at 5:30 p.m. on May 16 at the Sony/ATV parking lot in Nash-ville … Twenty teams participated in the T.J. Martell Foundation Young Professionals Council’s Downtown Derby Bed Race on May 6. Team APA won the event, which raised $90,000 for medical research … Guitarist Corki Casey O’Dell died May 11, The Ten-nessean reported. The 2014 inductee in the Musicians Hall of Fame played on numerous Duane Eddy recordings and on Sanford Clark’s 1956 country hit “The Fool.”

NASHVILLE & NATIONAL TOM ROLAND

Warner Music Nashville recording artist Devin Dawson took a moment with Grand Ole Opry GM Sally Williams when he performed “All on Me” during his Opry debut on May 12.

HUTTON

Songwriters Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey and Steven Lee Olsen earned song of the year for “Blue Ain’t Your Color” during the Association of Independent Music Publishers’ second annual AIMP Nashville Awards on May 8 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. From left: Brothers Osborne’s T.J. Osborne, Lagerberg, Lindsey and Brothers Osborne’s John Osborne.

BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MAY 15, 2017 | PAGE 10 OF 20

MUSIC NOTESThe world below can’t bother you up on the roof, so two Nashville entities have ongoing industry-focused rooftop parties set for the summer. BMI launches its series, sponsored by George Dickel Tennessee Whisky, with LoCash and Mag-gie Rose on May 23. Other participants in the coming months include Aaron Lewis, William Michael Morgan and Walker McGuire. Warner Music Nash-ville renews its monthly “Pickin’ On the Patio” showcases with Hunter Hayes on May 24. Their finale is set for Sept. 27.

On May 23, the last Tuesday be-fore Memorial Day, the Grand Ole Opry will honor veterans of Des-ert Storm, with artists and war-riors walking a red carpet prior to the show. On the bill that night are Trace Adkins, Chris Young, Terri Clark, Dailey & Vincent and The Charlie Daniels Band. Similarly, Billy Ray Cyrus dedi-cated a recent Opry performance of “Some Gave All” to a late sol-dier, 1st Lt. Weston Lee, who was killed by an explosive on patrol in Iraq. Cyrus heads to Washington, D.C., on May 28 to honor fallen servicemen in the annual Rolling Thunder Ride for Freedom.

Looking for new music? The next Brett Eldredge album, a self-ti-tled project, is the highest-profile collection among the latest batch. It’s due Aug. 4. Just released last week are Swimming Alone by songwriter Liz Rose (“Girl Crush,” “You Belong With Me”) and Colter Wall’s eponymous, Dave Cobb-produced debut. Also on the way: Don Williams in Ireland: The Gentle Giant in Concert (May 12), Bobby Bare’s Some Things Change (May 27) and A Thousand Horses’ Bridges (June 2). Plus, “Kill a Word” songwriter Luke Dick’s pop side project, Republican Hair, will issue The Prince and the Duke, honoring the late Prince and David Bowie, on July 14.

Little Big Town collaborated on a track with Country Music Hall of Fame member Ronnie Milsap that’s likely to appear on his next album.

LEWIS

ON THIS DATE IN COUNTRY MUSIC

May 15 • 2007 — “Hi, I’m Taylor Swift.” After performing

“Tim McGraw” on the Academy of Country Music Awards at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand, the 17-year-old singer meets the man her song was named after for the first time on national TV.

May 16 • 2006 — Kenny Chesney performs “There Goes My Life” and “Back

Where I Come From” for President George W. Bush and Australian Prime Minister John Howard at the White House in Washington, D.C.

May 17 • 2012 — Tracy Lawrence is a surprise guest during Jason Aldean’s

concert at the Oak Mountain Amphitheatre in Birmingham, Ala. Lawrence, Aldean and opening act Luke Bryan perform “Sticks and Stones,” “I’m Over You” and “Paint Me a Birmingham.”

• 1967 — Glen Campbell records “Gentle on My Mind,” written by John Hartford and arranged by Leon Russell, at the Capitol Recording Studio in Hollywood.

May 18 • 2015 — MCA releases Sam Hunt’s “House Party” to radio. • 2013 — Cole Swindell plays a showcase in Atlanta for several

country labels. He picks up multiple offers and ultimately signs with Warner Bros.

May 19 • 1977 — Smokey & the Bandit premieres at Radio City Music Hall

in New York. The movie stars Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason and Jerry Reed, who sings “East Bound and Down.” John Schneider also appears in a teeny walk-on role.

May 20 • 2011 — Darius Rucker receives an honorary doctorate and delivers

the commencement speech at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

• 1997 — RCA releases Sara Evans’ debut album, Three Chords and the Truth.

May 21 • 2016 — Florida Georgia Line’s “H.O.L.Y.” goes to No. 1 for the first

of 18 straight weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Source: RolandNote.com, the Ultimate Country Music Database

McGRAW

NASHVILLE & NATIONAL TOM ROLAND

Click on headlines below for more details

Katy Perry In Talks To Judge ABC’s American Idol Revival

John Legend & Florida Georgia Line To Perform (Together!) At 2017 Billboard Music Awards

Country Radio Station Pulls PSA Giving Tips On How To Hide Child Porn. Really.

Kelly Clarkson Joins The Voice, Squashing American Idol Rumors

Universal Music Group Revenue Rises 12.7%, Biggest First Quarter In 15 Years

Top Headlines from .com

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Rascal Flatts visited with KASE Austin personality Anne Hudson during the iHeartCountry Festival on May 6 at the Frank Erwin Center. From left: Hudson and Rascal Flatts members Gary LeVox, Joe Don Rooney and Jay DeMarcus.

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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MAY 15, 2017 | PAGE 11 OF 20

Hot Country SongsSALES, AIRPLAY & STREAMING DATA COMPILED BY

THIS WEEK

LAST WEEK

TWO WEEKS

AGOWKS ON CHART

TITLE Artist PRODUCER (SONGWRITER) IMPRINT / PROMOTION LABEL CERTIFIED

PEAK POSITION

1 1 1 15 BODY LIKE A BACK ROAD HH No. 1 (14 weeks) HH Sam Hunt Z.CROWELL (S.HUNT,Z.CROWELL,J.OSBORNE,S.MCANALLY) MCA NASHVILLE

1

l2 2 2 36 IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW HH Airplay Gainer HH Brett Young D.HUFF (B.YOUNG,T.REEVE,K.SCHILENGER,T.TOMLINSON) BMLG 0 2

l3 3 3 37 HURRICANE Luke Combs S.MOFFATT (L.COMBS,T.PHILLIPS,T.ARCHER) RIVER HOUSE/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 0 3

l4 6 7 27 BLACK Dierks Bentley R. COPPERMAN (D.BENTLEY,R.COPPERMAN,A.GORLEY) CAPITOL NASHVILLE 0 4

5 4 5 21 THE FIGHTER Keith Urban Featuring Carrie Underwood BUSBEE,K.URBAN (K.URBAN,BUSBEE) HIT RED/CAPITOL NASHVILLE 2

l6 8 15 39 IF I TOLD YOU Darius Rucker R. COPPERMAN (R.COPPERMAN,J.M.NITE,S.MCANALLY) CAPITOL NASHVILLE 6

7 5 4 34 DIRT ON MY BOOTS Jon Pardi B.BUTLER,J.PARDI (R.AKINS,J.FRASURE,A.GORLEY) CAPITOL NASHVILLE 0 2

l8 11 11 21 GOD, YOUR MAMA, AND ME Florida Georgia Line Featuring Backstreet Boys J.MOI (J.KEAR,H.LINDSEY,G.SAMPSON) BMLG 8

l9 9 10 31 YEAH BOY Kelsea Ballerini F.G.WHITEHEAD,J.MASSEY (K.BALLERINI,F.G.WHITEHEAD,K.TIMMER) BLACK RIVER 9

l10 10 9 37 THE WEEKEND Brantley Gilbert D.HUFF (B.GILBERT,A.DEROBERTS) VALORY 9

l11 14 13 7 CRAVING YOU Thomas Rhett Featuring Maren Morris J.BUNETTA,D.HUFF,JOE LONDON,THOMAS RHETT (D.M.BARNES,J.BUNETTA) VALORY 5

l12 13 12 31 HOW NOT TO Dan + Shay D.SMYERS,S.HENDRICKS (A.HAMBRICK,P.DIGIOVANNI,K.BARD) WARNER BROS./WAR 12

l13 18 20 13 EVERY TIME I HEAR THAT SONG Blake Shelton S.HENDRICKS (A.MAYO,C.LINDSEY,B.WARREN,B.WARREN) WARNER BROS./WMN 13

14 12 8 23 ANY OL’ BARSTOOL Jason Aldean M.KNOX (J.THOMPSON,D.RUTTAN) MACON/BROKEN BOW 5

l15 15 14 40 MY GIRL Dylan Scott M.ALDERMAN,J.E.NORMAN (D.SCOTT,J.KERR) CURB 14

l16 17 19 19 FLATLINER Cole Swindell M.CARTER (C.SWINDELL,M.BRONLEEWE,J.BOYER) WARNER BROS./WMN 16

l17 NEW 1 EITHER WAY HH Hot Shot Debut HH Chris Stapleton D.COBB,C.STAPLETON (C.STAPLETON,TIM JAMES,K.MARVEL) MERCURY

17

l18 16 16 17 YOU LOOK GOOD Lady Antebellum BUSBEE (H.LINDSEY,R.HURD,BUSBEE) CAPITOL NASHVILLE 9

l19 19 24 10 DRINKIN’ PROBLEM Midland S.MCANALLY,D.HUFF,J.OSBORNE (J.CARSON,C.DUDDY,M.WYSTRACH,S.MCANALLY,J.OSBORNE) BIG MACHINE 19

l20 35 30 4 BROKEN HALOS Chris Stapleton D.COBB,C.STAPLETON (C.STAPLETON,M.HENDERSON) MERCURY 13

l21 20 21 18 YOURS IF YOU WANT IT Rascal Flatts J.DEMARCUS,G.LEVOX,J.D.ROONEY (A.DORFF,J.SINGLETON) BIG MACHINE 20

l22 23 23 15 MY OLD MAN Zac Brown Band D.COBB (Z.BROWN,N.MOON,B.SIMONETTI) SOUTHERN GROUND/ELEKTRA/WAR 10

l23 22 22 8 SPEAK TO A GIRL Tim McGraw & Faith Hill B.GALLIMORE,T.MCGRAW,F.HILL (SHY CARTER,D.GIBSON,J.SPARGUR) MCGRAW/ARISTA NASHVILLE 6

l24 25 25 9 NO SUCH THING AS A BROKEN HEART Old Dominion S.MCANALLY (M.RAMSEY,T. ROSEN,B.TURSI,J.FRASURE) RCA NASHVILLE 24

l25 26 26 17 SOMEBODY ELSE WILL Justin Moore S.BORCHETTA,J.S.STOVER (K.ARCHER,A.HAMBRICK,T.OTTOH) VALORY 25

Hot Country Songs

The third single from Hero rises to a new Hot Country Songs peak (34-28)

following the release of its official video (May 6) and Morris ’ live performance of the song on NBC’s The Voice (May 8). It surges 188 percent to 10,000 sold and 11 percent to 2.6 million U.S. streams.

28MAREN

MORRISI Could

Use a Love Song

The duo — Preston Brust and Chris Lucas — pushes 46-45 on Hot Country Songs with

its latest single, which hikes 107 percent to 3,000 downloads sold, thanks in part to a 69-cent sale tag in the iTunes Store. On Country Airplay, it lifts 32-31 (4.6 million in audience).

45LOCASHRing on

Every Finger

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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MAY 15, 2017 | PAGE 12 OF 20

For week ending May 11, 2017. Figures are rounded. Compiled from a national sample of retail store and rack sales reports collected and provided by Nielsen Music.

For inquiries about any Nielsen Music data, please contact Josh Bennett at 615-807-1338 or josh.bennett@nielsen.com

The week’s most popular country songs, ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen Music, sales data as compiled by Nielsen Music and streaming activity data from online music sources tracked by Nielsen Music. Descending titles below No. 25 are moved to recurrent after 20 weeks.

COUNTRY MARKET WATCHA Weekly National Music Sales Report

Hot Country Songs

ALBUMSDIGITAL

ALBUMS*DIGITAL TRACKS

This Week 554,000 245,000 1,392,000

Last Week 380,000 108,000 1,356,000

Change 45.8% 126.9% 2.7%

This Week Last Year 592,000 202,000 1,876,000

Change -6.4% 21.3% -25.8%

*Digital album sales are also counted within album sales.

Weekly Unit SalesYear-Over-Year Album Sales2016 2017 CHANGE

Albums 8,584,000 7,304,000 -14.9%

Digital Tracks 34,495,000 26,459,000 -23.3%

YEAR-TO-DATE

Overall Unit Sales

2016 2017 CHANGE

Physical 5,634,000 4,908,000 -12.9%

Digital 2,949,000 2,396,000 -18.8%

Sales by Album Format

SALES, AIRPLAY & STREAMING DATA COMPILED BY

THIS WEEK

LAST WEEK

TWO WEEKS

AGOWKS ON CHART

TITLE Artist PRODUCER (SONGWRITER) IMPRINT / PROMOTION LABEL CERTIFIED

PEAK POSITION

l26 27 27 12 SMALL TOWN BOY Dustin Lynch Z.CROWELL (R.AKINS,B.HAYSLIP,K.FISHMAN) BROKEN BOW 19

l27 29 28 7 TIN MAN Miranda Lambert F.LIDDELL,G.WORF,E.MASSE (M.LAMBERT,J.INGRAM,J.R.STEWART) VANNER/RCA NASHVILLE 15

l28 34 34 8 I COULD USE A LOVE SONG HH Digital Gainer HH Maren Morris BUSBEE,M.MORRIS (M.MORRIS,J.ROBBINS,L.VELTZ) COLUMBIA NASHVILLE

28

l29 28 29 25 FOR HER Chris Lane J.MOI (M.DRAGSTREM,K.ARCHER,S.BUXTON) BIG LOUD 23

l30 30 31 16 IT AIN’T MY FAULT Brothers Osborne J.JOYCE (J. OSBORNE,T.J. OSBORNE,L.T.MILLER) EMI NASHVILLE 28

l31 NEW 1 FIVE MORE MINUTES Scotty McCreery F.ROGERS (S.MCCREERY,R.ROGERS,M.CRISWELL) DAGUM 31

l32 31 32 23 WHAT IFS Kane Brown Featuring Lauren Alaina D.HUFF (K.BROWN,M.MCGINN,J.M.SCHMIDT) ZONE 4/RCA NASHVILLE 31

l33 33 33 11 SOMETHIN’ I’M GOOD AT Brett Eldredge R. COPPERMAN,B.ELDREDGE (B.ELDREDGE,T.DOUGLAS) ATLANTIC/WMN 30

l34 36 35 16 DO I MAKE YOU WANNA Billy Currington D.HUFF (A.GORLEY,Z.CROWELL,M.JENKINS,J.FLOWERS) MERCURY 34

35 24 18 18 BAR AT THE END OF THE WORLD Kenny Chesney B.CANNON,K.CHESNEY (J.T.HARDING,A.MAYO,D.L.MURPHY) BLUE CHAIR/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 17

l36 38 39 12 MORE GIRLS LIKE YOU Kip Moore K.MOORE,D.GARCIA (K.MOORE,S.L.OLSEN,J.MILLER,D.A.GARCIA) MCA NASHVILLE 36

l37 37 — 2 SECOND ONE TO KNOW HH Streaming Gainer HH Chris Stapleton D.COBB,C.STAPLETON (C.STAPLETON,M.HENDERSON) MERCURY

37

l38 40 40 12 MAKIN’ ME LOOK GOOD AGAIN Drake White R. COPPERMAN,J.S.STOVER (D.WHITE,M.CRISWELL,S.MINOR) DOT/BMLG 36

l39 NEW 1 ROOTS Zac Brown Band D.COBB (Z.BROWN,N.MOON,B.SIMONETTI,C.BOWLES) SOUTHERN GROUND/ELEKTRA/WAR 39

l40 RE-ENTRY 2 LAST THING I NEEDED, FIRST THIS MORNING Chris Stapleton D.COBB,C.STAPLETON (G.P.NUNN,D.SIOUX FARAR) MERCURY 37

l41 NEW 1 I WAS WRONG Chris Stapleton NOT LISTED (NOT LISTED) MERCURY 41

l42 41 41 12 THE WAY I TALK Morgan Wallen J.MOI (J.L.ALEXANDER,B.HAYSLIP,C.MCGILL) BIG LOUD 39

l43 NEW 1 TELL ME WHY Lauren Duski B.APPLEBERRY (NOT LISTED) REPUBLIC 43

l44 43 48 5 ROUND HERE BUZZ Eric Church J.JOYCE (E.CHURCH,J.HYDE,L.DICK) EMI NASHVILLE 43

l45 46 45 9 RING ON EVERY FINGER LOCASH L.RIMES (THOMAS RHETT,J.KEAR,J.FRASURE) REVIVER 42

46 39 — 2 IN THE BLOOD John Mayer J.MAYER,C.FRANSCOVIAK (J.MAYER) COLUMBIA/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE/ARISTA NASHVILLE 39

l47 NEW 1 HEARTACHE ON THE DANCE FLOOR Jon Pardi B.BUTLER,J.PARDI (J.PARDI,B.BUTLER,B.LONG) CAPITOL NASHVILLE 47

l48 47 46 9 HAPPY PEOPLE Little Big Town J.JOYCE (L.MCKENNA,H.WHITTERS) CAPITOL NASHVILLE 40

l49 NEW 1 ANYWAY Brennley Brown B.APPLEBERRY (NOT LISTED) REPUBLIC 49

50 45 42 4 LAST TIME FOR EVERYTHING Brad Paisley L.WOOTEN,B.PAISLEY (B.PAISLEY,S.AHNQUIST,B.ANDERSON,C.DUBOIS,M.RYAN) ARISTA NASHVILLE 42

ALBUM SALES

’17

’16

DIGITAL TRACKS SALES

’17

’16

8.6 million

7.3 million

000.0 million

’15

’14

26.5 million

34.5 million

BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MAY 15, 2017 | PAGE 13 OF 20

The week’s top-streamed and top-selling paid download country songs, respectively, from sales reports collected and provided by Nielsen Music. Charts update weekly on Tuesdays at www.Billboard.Biz/charts. Copyright 2017, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.

TOP COUNTRY ALBUMS COUNTRY DIGITAL SONG SALES

Top Country Albums ranks the most popular country albums of the week, as compiled by Nielsen Music, based on multi-metric consumption (blending traditional album sales, track equivalent albums, and streaming equivalent albums). Copyright 2017, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.

Americana/Folk Albums ranks the most popular Americana/folk albums of the week, as compiled by Nielsen Music, based on multi-metric consumption (blending traditional album sales, track equivalent albums, and streaming equivalent albums). Copyright 2017, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.

AMERICANA/ FOLK ALBUMS

SALES, DATA COMPILED BY

THIS

W

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LAST

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EEKS

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ARTIST TITLEIMPRINT & NUMBER / DISTRIBUTING LABEL

CERT

.

PEA

K

POS.

l1 NEW 1 CHRIS STAPLETON FROM A ROOM: VOLUME 1MERCURY 026379*/UMGN 1

l2 3 3 106 CHRIS STAPLETON TRAVELLERMERCURY 019405*/UMGN 2 1

3 2 2 53 KEITH URBAN RIPCORDHIT RED/CAPITOL NASHVILLE 023591*/UMGN (025848 AMS & WSEX) 1 1

l4 5 5 13 BRETT YOUNG BRETT YOUNGBMLG BY0100A* 2

5 6 4 37 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE DIG YOUR ROOTSBMLG 0300* 1

6 1 — 2 WILLIE NELSON GOD’S PROBLEM CHILDLEGACY 541573* 1

l7 NEW 1 COLT FORD LOVE HOPE FAITHAVERAGE JOES 302 7

l8 7 6 117 SAM HUNT MONTEVALLOMCA NASHVILLE 021502/UMGN 2 1

l9 10 7 25 MIRANDA LAMBERT THE WEIGHT OF THESE WINGSVANNER/RCA NASHVILLE 532305*/SMN 1

10 8 8 85 THOMAS RHETT TANGLED UPVALORY RT0200A/BMLG 1 2

l11 21 18 49 MAREN MORRIS HEROCOLUMBIA NASHVILLE 516885*/SMN 1

12 11 11 47 JON PARDI CALIFORNIA SUNRISECAPITOL NASHVILLE 024744*/UMGN 1

13 13 9 15 BRANTLEY GILBERT THE DEVIL DONT SLEEPVALORY BG0300/BMLG 1

14 12 10 35 JASON ALDEAN THEY DON’T KNOWMACON/BROKEN BOW 2227/BBMG 1

l15 15 16 94 ZAC BROWN BAND GREATEST HITS SO FAR...ROAR/SOUTHERN GROUND/ATLANTIC 546369/AG 3

l16 20 17 51 BLAKE SHELTON IF I’M HONESTWARNER BROS. 555352/WMN 0 1

17 4 1 3 BRAD PAISLEY LOVE AND WARARISTA NASHVILLE 533287/SMN 1

18 16 12 92 LUKE BRYAN KILL THE LIGHTSCAPITOL NASHVILLE 022813/UMGN 1 1

19 17 15 50 DIERKS BENTLEY BLACKCAPITOL NASHVILLE 024745*/UMGN 0 1

l20 30 19 81 BLAKE SHELTON RELOADED: 20 #1 HITSWARNER BROS. 551788/WMN 2

21 18 21 104 KELSEA BALLERINI THE FIRST TIMEBLACK RIVER 2015 0 4

22 9 22 11 LITTLE BIG TOWN THE BREAKERCAPITOL NASHVILLE 026223*/UMGN 1

23 19 14 23 KANE BROWN KANE BROWNZONE 4/RCA NASHVILLE 530947/SMN 1

l24 23 26 80 ERIC CHURCH MR. MISUNDERSTOODEMI NASHVILLE 024200*/UMGN 0 2

25 22 20 53 COLE SWINDELL YOU SHOULD BE HEREWARNER BROS. 554671/WMN 0 2

COUNTRY STREAMING SONGS

STREAMING & SALES DATA COMPILED BY

THIS

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LAST

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ON

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ART

TITLEARTIST

1 1 15 BODY LIKE A BACK ROAD SAM HUNT

2 2 32 IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW BRETT YOUNG

l3 NEW EITHER WAY CHRIS STAPLETON

4 4 24 HURRICANE LUKE COMBS

5 3 19 THE FIGHTER KEITH URBAN FEAT. CARRIE UNDERWOOD

l6 NEW FIVE MORE MINUTES SCOTTY MCCREERY

l7 6 20 IF I TOLD YOU DARIUS RUCKER

l8 7 6 CRAVING YOU THOMAS RHETT FEAT. MAREN MORRIS

9 8 14 GOD, YOUR MAMA, AND ME FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE FEAT. BACKSTREET BOYS

l10 NEW ROOTS ZAC BROWN BAND

l11 NEW TELL ME WHY LAUREN DUSKI

l12 RE-ENTRY EVERY TIME I HEAR THAT SONG BLAKE SHELTON

13 9 33 DIRT ON MY BOOTS JON PARDI

l14 15 4 BROKEN HALOS CHRIS STAPLETON

l15 22 73 TENNESSEE WHISKEY CHRIS STAPLETON

16 10 16 YOU LOOK GOOD LADY ANTEBELLUM

17 13 7 TIN MAN MIRANDA LAMBERT

l18 RE-ENTRY I COULD USE A LOVE SONG MAREN MORRIS

l19 20 4 DRINKIN’ PROBLEM MIDLAND

l20 NEW ANYWAY BRENNLEY BROWN

21 17 9 FLATLINER COLE SWINDELL FEAT. DIERKS BENTLEY

22 14 17 MY GIRL DYLAN SCOTT ̀

23 16 43 BLUE AIN’T YOUR COLOR KEITH URBAN

l24 RE-ENTRY HUMBLE AND KIND TIM MCGRAW

l25 23 11 SMALL TOWN BOY DUSTIN LYNCH

SALES DATA COMPILED BY

The track from Zac Brown Band ’s fifth studio album, Welcome Home (released May 12 and produced by Dave Cobb), opens at No. 10 on Country Digital Song Sales with 11,000 sold, marking the group’s 15th top 10 on the list. On Hot Country Songs, it starts at No. 39.

10ZAC

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l1 1 14 BODY LIKE A BACK ROAD SAM HUNT

l2 2 16 IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW BRETT YOUNG

l3 3 17 HURRICANE LUKE COMBS

l4 4 54 H.O.L.Y. FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE

5 5 23 DIRT ON MY BOOTS JON PARDI

6 6 85 DIE A HAPPY MAN THOMAS RHETT

l7 7 80 TENNESSEE WHISKEY CHRIS STAPLETON

l8 9 17 THE WEEKEND BRANTLEY GILBERT

9 10 34 BLUE AIN’T YOUR COLOR KEITH URBAN

10 11 9 HOMETOWN GIRL JOSH TURNER

l11 13 17 BLACK DIERKS BENTLEY

12 8 11 THE FIGHTER KEITH URBAN FEAT. CARRIE UNDERWOOD

l13 15 11 GOD, YOUR MAMA, AND ME FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE FEAT. BACKSTREET BOYS

l14 16 6 CRAVING YOU THOMAS RHETT FEAT. MAREN MORRIS

15 14 37 MAY WE ALL FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE FEAT. TIM MCGRAW

16 12 14 ANY OL’ BARSTOOL JASON ALDEAN

l17 17 6 MY GIRL DYLAN SCOTT

l18 NEW WHAT IFS KANE BROWN FEAT. LAUREN ALAINA

l19 20 3 SMALL TOWN BOY DUSTIN LYNCH

l20 NEW EITHER WAY CHRIS STAPLETON

21 18 93 BREAK UP IN A SMALL TOWN SAM HUNT

22 19 76 HOUSE PARTY SAM HUNT

l23 NEW BROKEN HALOS CHRIS STAPLETON

l24 23 8 HOW NOT TO DAN + SHAY

25 22 140 PLAY IT AGAIN LUKE BRYAN

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l1 NEW 1 CHRIS STAPLETON FROM A ROOM: VOLUME 1MERCURY NASHVILLE /UMGN 1

l2 2 2 52 CHRIS STAPLETON TRAVELLERMERCURY NASHVILLE 019405*/UMGN 2 1

l3 NEW 1 MAC DEMARCO THIS OLD DOGCAPTURED TRACKS 260* 3

l4 NEW 1 VARIOUS ARTISTS COVER STORIES: BRANDI CARLILE CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF THE STORY...LOOKING OUT FOUNDATION /LEGACY 4

5 3 1 4 JOHN MAYER THE SEARCH FOR EVERYTHINGCOLUMBIA 541659* 1

l6 NEW 1 TAJ MAHAL & KEB’ MO’ TAJMOTAJMO 00431*/CONCORD 6

l7 8 14 13 RAG’N’BONE MAN HUMANBEST LAID PLANS 539854*/COLUMBIA 4

8 7 4 39 LORD HURON STRANGE TRAILSIAMSOUND 066* 1

9 6 5 57 THE LUMINEERS CLEOPATRADUALTONE 1738* 0 1

10 9 8 16 SIMON & GARFUNKEL SIMON AND GARFUNKEL’S GREATEST HITSCOLUMBIA 31350/LEGACY 8

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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MAY 15, 2017 | PAGE 14 OF 20

It’s a good time to be Jon Pardi. His sophomore album, California Sunrise, de-buted at No. 1 on Top Country Albums following its release on June 17, 2016. Its first two singles, “Head Over Boots” and “Dirt on My Boots,” climbed to No. 1 on Country Airplay. Now “Heartache on the Dance Floor” — arguably the shiniest-sounding track on California Sunrise — is out at radio, with Pardi working for a chart threepeat during the sunniest months of the year.

“It moves,” says Pardi of “Dance Floor.” “It’s got that cool beat, and you can see the crowd just start dancing when that beat drops, when that first chorus comes in. I see it all the time. There’s something cool about it.”

It’s a “California cool” melody, says songwriter/producer Bart Butler (“Make Me Wanna,” “Up All Night”), tying the musical feel with Pardi’s Golden State heritage. And that’s pretty much what “Heart-ache on the Dance Floor” does on a lyrical level, too, combining Pardi’s acerbic wit and relentless energy with a story about a woman in a West Coast bar who steals the heart of a dumbstruck man and disappears.

It was Pardi’s concept. While he was checked in at some now-forgotten hotel, he heard the “where she at, where she at, where she at tonight” tagline for the chorus in his head and sang it into his phone; he saved the ‘Heartache on the Dance Floor’ title with it. He brought it up as a topic when Butler and fellow songwriter Brice Long (“Nothing On but the Radio,” “Let’s Don’t Call It a Night”) met up with him on June 26, 2014, at the Country Stampede in Manhattan, Kan. A day later at the Country Fest in Cadott, Wis., Butler got on the bus to hear Pardi and Long working on it without him.

“Bart came back on the bus,” says Long with a laugh, “and we’re like, ‘Dude, it’s all good. We got this, man. Go back to what-ever you were doing out there. We don’t need you.’ ”

Pardi had a dirty electric guitar sound going, and it helped set the tone for the piece.

“A Gibson 335 is what I wrote the song on,” he says. “That’s why you hear that kind of strut to it in the rhythm. We just loved the sound of that lonely guitar opening up the song.”

Pardi was really strutting, cranking the amp to its highest volume, even though they were enclosed in the bus.

“He always goes to 10,” says Butler. “It was so loud, and every time he’d look away, we’d turn it down. He would look at us, and he’d turn it back up.”

They wrote the chorus first, kicking off with the title, then finding the right phrases to led them to the “where she at” finale. Initially, they left holes in the phrasing, though Long later started repeating the opening lines, creat-ing a call-and-answer texture that added to the soulful flavor in the groove.

Once the chorus was complete, they backed up to the beginning, pinning the verses to the same three-chord progression they’d already applied in the chorus.

“The go-to songs, whether you’re singing karaoke or you’re in a cover band, the simplicity of those songs sound like hits,” notes Long. “They’re just easy to play and sing.”

They plopped the protagonist into a beach-town bar, where he sets his sights on an auburn-haired girl shaking her hips to “some ol’ Motown song.” The guy is so mesmerized he can’t even speak; instead, he sings along to the re-cord. It’s unclear whether he actually joins her on the floor or simply gawks from the sidelines.

“That’s what I think is neat about it, ’cause you don’t really know what happens,” says Butler. “It leaves it to the listener to figure out: Did they share a dance? Or was she out there dancing with somebody and he fell in love?”

The second verse finds the singer back at the club every night, hoping his “mystery girl” returns. It ought to be a sad song, since insecurity stepped in and created a missed opportunity, but the hooky musical vibe and his hope-ful attitude keep it all upbeat.

“It’s a positive lonely song,” maintains Pardi. “He’s going to find her. He’s going to find her.”

They made a work tape that was little more than Pardi singing the lead, Long adding the call-and-answer parts, the Gibson 335 providing rhythm and the hum of the bus generator throwing in some atmosphere. Pardi started play-ing it on the road with his band, but Butler still brought out that understated work tape for the musicians when they finally cut it at the Blackbird Studios

in September 2015, part of a two-day marathon that saw Pardi record 12 songs for California Sunrise.

They agonized over the tempo — 115 beats per minute? 117? — before they finally settled on 116 bpm. That 1 bpm, says Pardi, was a major factor.

“I would describe it as tightening a bolt,” he says. “Like if the bolt’s a little loose, tighten. If it’s too tight, open it up a little bit. And that’s what that one click up or two clicks up is. It’s a simple thing, but it makes a big difference.”

Pardi attempted to play rhythm guitar — “That was definitely a disaster,” he says with a laugh — and they handed the role instead to Rob McNelley, who would enhance the California texture with the solo.

“That Eagles kind of old-school rock’n’roll solo is what he kind of went after,” says Pardi. “That’s why it’s real simple and kind of bendy. Rob’s good at that.”

Dave Cohen’s Hammond B-3, Mike Johnson’s steel guitar, Jenee Fleenor’s fiddle and Danny Rader’s acoustic guitar sub-tly blend behind all the rhythms, dovetailing with Pardi’s vocal so that one instrument sometimes finishes another’s line.

“We let every player have their moment, and we always want that track to feel good, but we don’t want to saturate it,” says Butler. “That’s why it feels like, ‘Here comes fiddle, here comes steel.’ Instead of everybody jamming at one time, we kind of want the track to breathe a little bit.”

Even though the chord progression never changes, Butler found ways to add and subtract instruments, giving a sense of movement to the production.

“It’s amazing what a tambourine can do,” says Pardi, pointing to a pick-me-up on the back half of the chorus. “I’m telling you, that little instrument is so simple, but so effective. “

Pardi came back on a day when he was in better voice to do the final vocals, knocking them out in about three takes. He also did his own call-and-answer parts on the chorus, with Russell Terrell adding the harmonies.

“Heartache” was eyed as a potential lead single from California Sunrise before “Head Over Boots” beat it out, but Pardi personally asked that it be-come the third release.

“If they choose the single, I’m fine with that, but I chose this one,” he says. “I thought it had some appeal to it, and we’re right on the edge of the begin-ning of the summer and it’s got that kind of a cool sound. It’s upbeat, sexy, and I wanted to go into the summer with that.”

Capitol released it to country radio via PlayMPE on April 17, and it jumps to No. 33 in its third week on Country Airplay. Pardi shot a still-unreleased video for it with a bikini model, hoping to further play up that sunshiny, summery feel.

“Timing’s everything,” he says.And with a catchy, upbeat song following two previous No. 1s, it’s a pretty

good time to be Jon Pardi.

Jon Pardi’s ‘Heartache On The Dance Floor’ Becomes A Summertime Mystery

MAKIN’ TRACKS TOM ROLAND tom.roland@billboard.com

PARDI

BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MAY 15, 2017 | PAGE 15 OF 20

As summer approaches, the country format often sees the beginning of what becomes a glut of uptempo, lighter songs being serviced by labels and em-braced by radio. And while there’s certainly no shortage of those kinds of songs this year as well, a surprising number of singles with meatier content — and more serious themes — are also emerging, featuring such topics as divorce, faith, respecting women, the end of a relationship and missing a deceased loved one.

Current or recent singles from such acts as Tyler Farr, Zac Brown Band, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Chris Stapleton, Lauren Alaina, Reba McEn-tire, Miranda Lambert, Lee Brice, Trace Adkins, RaeLynn, Scotty Mc-Creery and John Mayer all feature heavier topics that stand out in the midst of country’s more frequent “hey, girl” love songs and beer-drinking anthems.

Farr’s powerful new “I Should Go to Church Sometime” is one example. Written by Brinley Addington, Mi-chael Hardy and Sarah Turner, the song opens with lyrics about “a man on the sidewalk/‘Hungry’ written in red chalk” and “a kid on the TV/He was only seventeen/Wrapped his truck ’round an oak tree” before launching into a chorus about how Farr’s “prod-igal disciple” needs to “go to church sometime” and “walk a little straighter line.”

Alaina’s new single, “Doin’ Fine,” which she penned with Emily Shack-leton and busbee, references her par-ents’ divorce and her father’s struggles with sobriety. RaeLynn’s “Love Trian-gle” deals with the impact her parents’ divorce had on her as a young girl. On “In the Blood,” Mayer sings about “feeling that I’m never good enough.” The devastating final verse of McCre-ery’s “Five More Minutes” chronicles the loss of his grandfather, and Zac Brown Band’s “My Old Man” similarly laments the loss of a “giant” of a father who imparted valuable life lessons to a son now following in his footsteps.

Sony Music Nashville senior vp A&R Jim Catino says he’s excited to see so many of these songs emerging from Nashville’s songwriting community, noting that such material is “what our format’s been built upon and what’s special about what happens here.” He adds, “What our listeners have always reacted to are deeper songs that talk about the meaning of life and other as-pects of everyday life.”

Mercury Records vp national promo Damon Moberly says he and his team have been hearing regularly from radio programmers that “there is an absence of depth” in the music, so he’s happy to help counter that with new singles like Alaina’s, as well as Stapleton’s “Either Way,” a gut punch of a song about a couple that has fallen out of love.

While deeper songs are often accompanied by a slower tempo, making them sometimes harder to work, Columbia Records senior vp promotion Shane Allen says the upside is that they often engender a more passionate response faster from programmers and, ultimately, listeners. That can make for “big-ger stories out of the gate” with a new single, he says.

Radio programmers are happy to see the tide turning toward thought-pro-

voking content. “I’m always in favor of a greater variety of topics,” says con-sultant Joel Raab. “Words matter, stories matter, and the more relatable we can make the music, the better.”

“We’re seeing a resurgence of story songs,” says KTTS Springfield, Mo., PD Mark Grantin. “Ballads and story songs have always been the backbone of the country format. Certain styles or sounds can be popular for a short time, but for the long-term health of this format we need real, relatable songs.”

“After the so-called bro-country movement jumped the shark, Nashville artists, writers, producers [and] labels began to self-correct by adding more sub-stance back into a format that was once rich with substance and lyrical connec-tion,” says WBEE Rochester, N.Y., operations manager Bob Barnett. “It’s been

a welcome change. I don’t know how many times music director/assistant PD Billy Kidd and I have compared notes on songs in our music discus-sions and wished for a good old coun-try love song, or a values-driven song, or maybe even a real-life, real-world song as we poured through the latest pile of cloned ‘Let’s get drunk under the moonlight on the bed of my pickup down the old dirt road’ and ‘Slide on over here blue-eyed girl in a white tank top’ songs.”

KSON S a n D i e g o o p e r a t i o n s manager/PD Kevin Callahan is also seeing “fewer tailgate, ‘hey, girl’ ti-tles, more real love songs and more of the serious titles,” something he thinks is “based on the mood of the country.”

W h i le t hey m ay b e welc ome , weightier songs come with their own challenges. Raab says, “Heavier songs have a shorter shelf life. Once you’ve heard it a number of times, that may be enough,” he explains, meaning that those songs “might not go to gold after their life as a current and recurrent.” He also has concerns that “the audi-

ence has struggled with songs that are too preachy.”Barnett says such songs “typically take longer to develop, especially for sta-

tions still doing call-out [research]. We need to have patience and allow songs to make a connection with the listener.” He also cautions that “too many slow, depressing songs will make us really sluggish heading into the summer sea-son. So, while I value substance over disposable ditties, creating a balanced playlist and policing music logs is critical to make it work.” Grantin agrees: “We need balance. I can’t lean too far in a dark, deep theme [direction] or too far with slow ballads.”

KMPS Seattle PD Kenny Jay thinks there aren’t necessarily more heavy-themed country songs right now, but rather that the quality of such songs has improved recently. But he cautions that “because of their impact, a lot of these kinds of songs don’t see a thousand spins as a current, so timing is critical to achieve maximum impact for the station.”

On the plus side, when these real-life story songs do find fans who relate to them and have had a similar experience to one expressed in the lyrics, Cal-lahan says, there is “a higher payoff ” in passion, and “that’s what country music is all about.”

Country Gets Serious: Weightier Songs Are On The Rise

THE STARK REPORT PHYLLIS STARK phyllis.stark@billboard.com

BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MAY 15, 2017 | PAGE 16 OF 20

THIS WEEK

LAST WEEK

WKS ON

CHART TITLE Imprint/Label ArtistPLAYS

AUDIENCE (IN MILLIONS)

THIS WEEK +/– THIS WEEK

l1 3 19 IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW BMLG HH No. 1 (1 week) HH Brett Young 4854 +190 7.697

l2 4 28 BLACK Capitol Nashville Dierks Bentley 4645 +106 7.236

3 1 36 HURRICANE River House/Columbia Nashville Luke Combs 4479 -535 7.481

4 2 33 YEAH BOY Black River Kelsea Ballerini 4244 -460 6.637

5 5 41 THE WEEKEND Valory Brantley Gilbert 4045 -50 6.498

l6 7 45 IF I TOLD YOU Capitol Nashville Darius Rucker 4029 +278 6.429

l7 8 33 HOW NOT TO Warner Bros./WAR Dan + Shay 3907 +337 6.117

l8 9 14 THE FIGHTER Hit Red/Capitol Nashville Keith Urban Feat. Carrie Underwood 3651 +301 5.664

l9 10 18 GOD, YOUR MAMA, AND ME BMLG Florida Georgia Line Feat. Backstreet Boys 3528 +241 5.648

10 6 15 BODY LIKE A BACK ROAD MCA Nashville Sam Hunt 3361 -569 5.660

l11 13 14 EVERY TIME I HEAR THAT SONG Warner Bros./WMN Blake Shelton 3336 +358 5.113

l12 11 19 YOURS IF YOU WANT IT Big Machine Rascal Flatts 3233 +71 5.110

l13 12 17 YOU LOOK GOOD Capitol Nashville Lady Antebellum 3188 +41 4.986

l14 14 18 FLATLINER Warner Bros./WMN Cole Swindell 2898 +267 4.351

l15 16 7 CRAVING YOU Valory Thomas Rhett Feat. Maren Morris 2814 +347 4.365

l16 21 11 DRINKIN’ PROBLEM Big Machine HH Most Increased Plays HH Midland 2694 +387 3.984

17 15 15 MY OLD MAN Southern Ground/Elektra/WAR Zac Brown Band 2550 -39 4.085

l18 17 29 SOMEBODY ELSE WILL Valory Justin Moore 2505 +42 3.685

l19 19 33 MY GIRL Curb Dylan Scott 2491 +93 3.734

l20 20 8 SPEAK TO A GIRL McGraw/Arista Nashville Tim McGraw & Faith Hill 2473 +111 3.548

l21 22 18 IT AIN’T MY FAULT EMI Nashville Brothers Osborne 2104 +137 2.821

l22 23 10 NO SUCH THING AS A BROKEN HEART RCA Nashville Old Dominion 2056 +246 2.985

l23 24 25 DO I MAKE YOU WANNA Mercury Billy Currington 1811 +159 2.597

l24 26 12 SOMETHIN’ I’M GOOD AT Atlantic/WMN Brett Eldredge 1594 +89 2.264

l25 25 34 FOR HER Big Loud Chris Lane 1587 +81 2.319

l26 29 12 MORE GIRLS LIKE YOU MCA Nashville Kip Moore 1355 +310 1.624

l27 27 26 OUTTA STYLE BIG Label Aaron Watson 1232 +40 1.614

28 18 20 BAR AT THE END OF THE WORLD Blue Chair/Columbia Nashville Kenny Chesney 1164 -1247 1.567

l29 30 9 I COULD USE A LOVE SONG Columbia Nashville Maren Morris 1121 +108 1.534

30 28 6 TIN MAN Vanner/RCA Nashville Miranda Lambert 1107 -52 1.447

Country Indicator

BILLBOARD COUNTRY INDICATOR PANEL — 106 STATIONS

Abilene, Texas KEANAlexandria, La. KRRVAmarillo, Texas KGNCAsheville, N.C. WKSFAtlantic City, N.J. WPURBeaumont, Texas KYKRBeckley, W. Va. WJLSBiloxi, Miss. WZKXBloomington, Ill. WIBLBluefield, W. Va. WHKXBurlington, Vt. WOKOCape Girardeau, Mo. KEZSCharleston, W. Va WKWS WQBECollege Station, Texas KAGGColumbia, Mo. KCLRColumbus, Ga. WKCN WSTH Cookeville, Tenn. WGSQDothan, Ala. WTVYDuluth, Minn. KKCBEau Claire, Wis. WAXXElizabeth City, N.C. WRSFErie, Pa. WTWFEugene, Ore. KKNUEvansville, Ind. WKDQFargo, N.D. KBVB WSTH

Fayetteville, N.C. WKMLFlagstaff, Ariz. KAFFFlint, Mich. WFBEFlorence, Ala. WXFLFlorence, S.C. WEGXFt. Collins, Colo. KUADFt. Smith, Ark. KTCSFrederick, Md. WFREFredericksburg, Va. WFLSGreen Bay, Wis. WNCYHagerstown, Md. WAYZHot Springs, Ark. KQUSHuntington, Ky. WDGGHuntington, W. Va. WTCRIdaho Falls, Idaho KTHKJackson, Miss. WMSI WUSJJanesville, Wis. WJVL Jonesboro, Ark. KDXYJoplin, Mo. KIXQKalamazoo, Mich. WNWNKalispell, Mont. KDBRKingmah, Ariz. KFLGLafayette, Ind. WKOALaredo, Texas KRRGLansing, Mich. WITLLaurel, Miss. WBBN

Lebanon, N.H. WXXKLincoln, Neb KFGELongview, Texas KYKXLubbock, Texas KLLLLufkin, Texas KYKSMason City, Iowa KIAIMedford, Ore. KRWQMeridian, Miss. WOKKMontgomery, Ala. WLWIMorgantown, W. Va. WKKWMuskegon, Mich. WMUSNew London, Conn. WCTYOdessa, Texas KHKXPalm Springs, Calif. KPLMPensacola, Fla. WXBMPeoria, Ill. WXCL Poughkeepsie, N.Y. WRWDRapid City, S.D. KOUTRockford, Ill. WXXQRocky Mount, N.C. WDWGSaginaw, Mich. WCENSt. Cloud, Minn. KZPKSalina, Kan. KYEZSalisbury, Md. WKTTSan Angelo, Texas KGKLSan Luis Obispo, Calif. KKJG

Santa Barbara, Calif. KRAZSanta Maria, Calif. KSNISheboygan, Wis. WBFMSavannah, Ga. WJCL WUBBShreveport, La. KXKSSioux Cty, Iowa KSUXSouth Bend, Ind. WBYTSpringfield, Ill. WFMBSpringfield, Mo. KTTSTerre Haute, Ind. WTHITopeka, Kan. WIBWTraverse City, Mich. WTCMTupelo, Miss. WWZDUtica, N.Y. WFRGVictor Valley, CA. KATJWaco, Texas WACOWausau, Wis. WDEZWheeling, W. Va. WOVKWilliamsport, Pa. WILQYakima, Wash. KXDDYoungstown, Ohio WQXK WWGYWestwood One HOT COUNTRY MAINSTREAM COUNTRYMusic Choice TODAY’S COUNTRYSirius XM THE HIGHWAY

BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MAY 15, 2017 | PAGE 17 OF 20

THIS WEEK

LAST WEEK

WKS ON

CHART TITLE Imprint/Label ArtistPLAYS

AUDIENCE (IN MILLIONS)

THIS WEEK +/– THIS WEEK

l31 31 8 ASK ME HOW I KNOW Pearl Garth Brooks 1007 +23 1.279

l32 35 5 LAST TIME FOR EVERYTHING Arista Nashville Brad Paisley 943 +155 1.421

l33 32 9 HAPPY PEOPLE Capitol Nashville Little Big Town 902 +37 1.165

l34 33 15 A GIRL LIKE YOU Mercury Easton Corbin 899 +39 1.079

l35 34 7 ROUND HERE BUZZ EMI Nashville Eric Church 889 +71 1.193

l36 36 10 SMALL TOWN BOY Broken Bow Dustin Lynch 849 +116 1.069

l37 37 25 RING ON EVERY FINGER Reviver LOCASH 822 +157 1.021

l38 40 4 HEARTACHE ON THE DANCE FLOOR Capitol Nashville Jon Pardi 742 +247 0.827

l39 41 4 THEY DON’T KNOW Macon/Broken Bow Jason Aldean 643 +156 0.913

l40 38 10 CALIFORNIA B$R/New Revolution Big & Rich 632 +10 0.791

l41 39 16 MAKIN’ ME LOOK GOOD AGAIN Dot/BMLG Drake White 623 +118 0.860

l42 44 2 EITHER WAY Mercury HH Most Added HH Chris Stapleton 520 +213 0.734

l43 42 24 THE WAY I TALK Big Loud Morgan Wallen 502 +20 0.541

44 43 6 GOOD COMPANY RCA Nashville Jake Owen 408 -14 0.589

l45 51 5 WILD AS YOU CoJo Cody Johnson 330 +58 0.402

l46 49 16 MISSING Warner Bros./WMN William Michael Morgan 319 +41 0.538

l47 46 12 JUST ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY Sea Gayle CJ Solar 318 +23 0.320

l48 45 14 WOKE UP IN NASHVILLE Arista Nashville Seth Ennis 316 +15 0.259

l49 47 6 EVERY LITTLE THING Big Machine Carly Pearce 315 +21 0.334

l50 50 8 PREACHIN’ TO THE CHOIR BMLG A Thousand Horses 306 +30 0.308

l51 54 6 WHAT IFS Zone 4/RCA Nashville Kane Brown Feat. Lauren Alaina 297 +62 0.334

l52 56 4 LOVE AGAIN Nash Next/Valory Todd O’Neill 270 +43 0.284

53 48 10 GREATEST LOVE STORY Arista Nashville LANCO 262 -18 0.284

l54 52 10 ALL THE BEER IN ALABAMA Amerimonte/Grassroots Shane Owens 260 +14 0.285

l55 53 10 FIGURE IT OUT Reznam/Nine North Sarah Dunn Band 247 +2 0.272

l56 57 4 GOD MADE A WOMAN Curb Jerrod Niemann 222 +10 0.176

57 55 6 WHAT I WANNA BE Black River Jacob Davis 217 -12 0.211

l58 58 3 LIKE YOU THAT WAY Mercury Canaan Smith 207 +21 0.205

l59 59 5 THIS SIDE OF YOU MRG Rick Monroe 169 +5 0.165

l60 NEW THAT’S WHAT’S WORKING RIGHT NOW New Revolution HH Hot Shot Debut HH Trent Tomlinson 141 +7 0.176

Country Indicator

CHARTS LEGENDRANKINGSCountry Airplay is ranked by total audience impressions for the week ending Sunday based on monitored airplay of 151 stations by Nielsen BDS. Audience totals on the chart are derived, in part, using certain Arbitron Inc. copyrighted Persons 12+ audience estimates (under license © 2017, Arbitron Inc.) Country Indicator is tabulated using reported playlists and Nielsen BDS-monitored airplay at 106 stations, ranked by total plays.

BULLETSl Awarded on Country Airplay to titles gaining audience or remaining flat from the previous week. A song will also receive a bullet if its percentage loss in audience does not exceed the percentage of monitored

station downtime for the format. Titles that decline in audience but increase in detections will also receive a bullet if the total audience erosion for the week does not exceed 3%. Bullets are awarded on Country Indicator to titles gaining plays or remaining flat from the previous week.

TIESOn Country Airplay, if two songs are tied in total audience, the song with the larger increase in audience is placed first. On Country Indicator, if two songs are tied in total plays, the song with the larger increase in plays is placed first.

RECURRENTSOn Country Airplay, descending titles below No. 10 in either audience or detections are moved to recurrent after 20 weeks, provided that they are not still

gaining enough audience points to bullet or if they rank below No. 10 and post a third consecutive week of (non-bulleted) audience decline, regardless of total chart weeks. On Country Indicator, descending, non-bulleted titles below No. 10 are moved to recurrent after 20 weeks or if they post a third consecutive week of decline in plays after 10 weeks.

HOT SHOT DEBUTAwarded to the highest-ranking new entry on Country Airplay and Country Indicator, respectively.

MOST ADDEDThe total number of new adds officially reported to Billboard by each reporting station, or by an automatic-add threshold (seven plays for the first time in a chart tracking week, according to Nielsen BDS) for stations that do not report adds.

MOST INCREASED AUDIENCE/PLAYSMost Increased Audience on Country Airplay and Most Increased Plays on Country Indicator list the songs with the greatest week-to-week increases in total audience or plays, respectively.

AIRPOWERAwarded on Country Airplay to titles ranking inside top 20 in plays and audience rankings for the first time, with increases in both plays and audience.

BREAKERAwarded on Country Airplay to titles achieving airplay (at least one detection) at 60% of reporting stations for the first time.

© 2017 Prometheus Global Media, LLC

BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MAY 15, 2017 | PAGE 18 OF 20

Country Airplay IndexA

ANY OL’ BARSTOOL Big Music Machine, BMI/Two Laine Collections, BMI/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Doc And Maggie Music, SOCAN/Thankful For This Music, ASCAP (J.Thompson, D.Ruttan) 14

ANYWAY Not Listed (Not Listed) 49

B

BAR AT THE END OF THE WORLD Songs Of SMP, ASCAP/Mighty Seven Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/The Queen Of Dot Dot Dot, BMI/Old Desperados, LLC, ASCAP/N2D Publishing Company, Inc., ASCAP (J.T.Harding, A.Mayo, D.L.Murphy) 35

BLACK Big White Tracks, ASCAP/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Songs By Red Room, BMI/Combustion Engine Music, ASCAP/Sadie’s Favorite Songs, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP (D.Bentley, R.Copperman, A.Gorley) 4

BODY LIKE A BACK ROAD Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Sam Hunt Publishing, ASCAP/Highly Combustible Music, ASCAP/I Love Pizza Music, ASCAP/Songs Of Southside Independent Music Publishing, LLC, ASCAP/Who Wants To Buy My Publishing, ASCAP/Atlas Music Publishing, ASCAP/Anderson Fork In The Road Music, ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Publishing America, Inc., ASCAP/Smack Hits, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR (S.Hunt, Z.Crowell, J.Osborne, S.McAnally) 1

BROKEN HALOS WB Music Corp., ASCAP/House Of Sea Gayle Music, ASCAP/Spirit Catalog Holdings, S.a.r.l./Spirit Two Nashville, ASCAP/Straight Six Music, BMI (C.Stapleton, M.Henderson) 20

C

CRAVING YOU BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Lawnwranglers, ASCAP/Dragon Bunny Music, BMI (D.M.Barnes, J.Bunetta) 11

D

DIRT ON MY BOOTS EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Brooks County Boy Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Rio Bravo Music, Inc., BMI/Telemitry Productions, BMI/Combustion Engine Music, ASCAP/Sadie’s Favorite Songs, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP (R.Akins, J.Frasure, A.Gorley) 7

DO I MAKE YOU WANNA External Combustion Music, ASCAP/Songs Of Southside Independent Music Publishing, LLC, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Atlas Music Publishing, ASCAP/Who Wants To Buy My Publishing, ASCAP (A.Gorley, Z.Crowell, M.Jenkins, J.Flowers) 34

DRINKIN’ PROBLEM WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Jess Carson Publishing Designee, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Vaqueros Galacticos Publishing, BMI/Tropical Cowboy Publishing, ASCAP/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Songs Publishing America, Inc., ASCAP/Songs Of Black River, ASCAP/One Little Indian Creek Music, ASCAP (J.Carson, C.Duddy, M.Wystrach, S.McAnally, J.Osborne) 19

E

EITHER WAY WB Music Corp., ASCAP/New Sea Gayle Music, ASCAP/Spirit Catalog Holdings, S.a.r.l./Spirit Two Nashville, ASCAP/Music Of Windswept, ASCAP/3 Ring Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Songs Of Windswept Pacific, BMI/Songs Of Thortch, BMI (C.Stapleton, Tim James, K.Marvel) 17

EVERY TIME I HEAR THAT SONG Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/The Queen Of Dot Dot Dot, BMI/Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Chris Lindsey Songs, ASCAP/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Sagequinnjude Music, BMI/Famlove Songs, BMI (A.Mayo, C.Lindsey, B.Warren, B.Warren) 13

TITLE Publishing-Licensing Org. (Songwriter) Chart Position

F

THE FIGHTER Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Mary Rose Music, BMI/7189 Music Publishing, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs, BMI (K.Urban, busbee) 5

FIVE MORE MINUTES Dagum Music, BMI/Spirit Catalog Holdings, S.a.r.l./Spirit Two Nashville, ASCAP/House Of Sea Gayle Music, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Dixey Bar Music, BMI (S.McCreery, R.Rogers, M.Criswell) 31

FLATLINER Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Colden Rainey Music, BMI/Forest For The Trees Music, SESAC/So Essential Tunes, SESAC/Peertunes, Ltd., SESAC/Jaron Boyer Music, SESAC (C.Swindell, M.Bronleewe, J.Boyer) 16

FOR HER Round Hill Songs BLS JV, ASCAP/Big Loud Proud Songs, ASCAP/Downtown DMP Songs, BMI/Stars And Stripes And Maple Leaf Music, BMI/Bux Tone Music, BMI (M.Dragstrem, K.Archer, S.Buxton) 29

G

GOD, YOUR MAMA, AND ME Year Of The Dog Music, ASCAP/Champagne Whiskey Publishing, BMI/HillarodyRathbone Music, ASCAP/BMG Firefly, ASCAP/Dash8 Music, ASCAP (J.Kear, H.Lindsey, G.Sampson) 8

H

HAPPY PEOPLE Maps And Records Music, BMI/Creative Pulse Music, BMI/These Are Pulse Songs, BMI/Scrambler Music, ASCAP/Carnival Beats, ASCAP (L.McKenna, H.Whitters) 48

HEARTACHE ON THE DANCE FLOOR Golden Vault Music, BMI/Rancho Fiesta Music, BMI/Bill Butler Music, BMI/Blongsongs, ASCAP (J.Pardi, B.Butler, B.Long) 47

HOW NOT TO Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Red Like The Sunset Music, ASCAP/Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Paulywood Music, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Tunes LLC, ASCAP/Kevin Bard Music, ASCAP (A.Hambrick, P.DiGiovanni, K.Bard) 12

HURRICANE 50 Egg, BMI/Straight Dimes, BMI/Big Machine Music, BMI/Intune Publishing, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs, BMI (L.Combs, T.Phillips, T.Archer) 3

I

I COULD USE A LOVE SONG International Dog Music, BMI/Round Hill Songs Jimmy Robbins, ASCAP/Jammy Rabbins Music, ASCAP/Extraordinary Alien Publishing, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Oh Denise Publishing, BMI/Big Music Machine, BMI (M.Morris, J.Robbins, L.Veltz) 28

IF I TOLD YOU EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Songs By Red Room, BMI/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/Jon Mark Nite Music, ASCAP/Smack Hits, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR (R.Copperman, J.M.Nite, S.McAnally) 6

IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW Super Big Music, ASCAP/Caliville Publishing, ASCAP/Brown Hound Publishing, BMI/Kyle Schlienger Productions, ASCAP/Big Spaces Music, BMI/Bootheel Music, BMI/Big Mosquito Music, BMI/Amplified Admin., BMI (B.Young, T.Reeve, K.Schilenger, T.Tomlinson) 2

IN THE BLOOD John Mayer, GMR/Milky Boy Music, GMR (J.Mayer) 46

IT AIN’T MY FAULT WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Trampy McCauley, ASCAP/All The Kings Pens, ASCAP/Songstein Publishing, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/The Country And Western Music, BMI (J. Osborne, T.J. Osborne, L.T.Miller) 30

I WAS WRONG Not Listed (Not Listed) 41

L

LAST THING I NEEDED, FIRST THIS MORNING Nunn Publishing Co. Inc., BMI (G.P.Nunn, D.Sioux Farar) 40

LAST TIME FOR EVERYTHING New House Of Sea Gayle Music, ASCAP/Songs For Margo, ASCAP (B.Paisley, S.Ahnquist, B.Anderson, C.DuBois, M.Ryan) 50

M

MAKIN’ ME LOOK GOOD AGAIN EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/Reverend Jack Music, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Dixey Bar Music, BMI/Code Six Charles Music, BMI (D.White, M.Criswell, S.Minor) 38

MORE GIRLS LIKE YOU WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Point Break Publishing, ASCAP/Music Of The Corn, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Jack 10 Publishing, BMI/Songs Of Cornman, BMI/Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing, ASCAP/D Soul Music, ASCAP/Capitol CMG Genesis, ASCAP (K.Moore, S.L.Olsen, J.Miller, D.A.Garcia) 36

MY GIRL Curb Songs, ASCAP/Songs Of Black River, ASCAP (D.Scott, J.Kerr) 15

MY OLD MAN Day For The Dead Publishing, SESAC/Simonetti Music Publishing, SESAC/Siva Moon Publishing, SESAC/W.B.M. Music Corp., SESAC (Z.Brown, N.Moon, B.Simonetti) 22

N

NO SUCH THING AS A BROKEN HEART Smackville Music, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Publishing America, Inc., ASCAP/ReHits Music, Inc., ASCAP/Smacktown Music, ASCAP/Smack Blue, LLC, SESAC/Unfair Entertainment, ASCAP/Big Deal Notes, ASCAP/Wooden Ships, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Telemitry Productions, BMI/Songs Of Roc Nation Music, BMI (M.Ramsey, T. Rosen, B.Tursi, J.Frasure) 24

R

RING ON EVERY FINGER Big Machine Music, BMI/Big Yellow Dog Music, ASCAP/Major Bob Music, Inc., ASCAP/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Cricket On The Line, BMI (Thomas Rhett, J.Kear, J.Frasure) 45

ROOTS Day For The Dead Publishing, SESAC/Reach Music Tunes, SESAC/Siva Moon Publishing, SESAC/W.B.M. Music Corp., SESAC/Simonetti Music Publishing, SESAC/Kobalt Group Music Publishing, SESAC/Poppsolotamus Music, SESAC (Z.Brown, N.Moon, B.Simonetti, C.Bowles) 39

ROUND HERE BUZZ Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Longer And Louder Music, BMI/Little Lounder Songs, BMI/Mammaw’s Fried Okra Music, BMI/Emileon Songs, BMI (E.Church, J.Hyde, L.Dick) 44

S

SECOND ONE TO KNOW WB Music Corp., ASCAP/New Sea Gayle Music, ASCAP/Spirit Catalog Holdings, S.a.r.l./Spirit Two Nashville, ASCAP/Irving Music, Inc., BMI/Chickenshack, BMI (C.Stapleton, M.Henderson) 37

SMALL TOWN BOY EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Thankful For This Music, ASCAP/Play It Again Entertainment, BMI/Round Hill Works, BMI (R.Akins, B.Hayslip, K.Fishman) 26

SOMEBODY ELSE WILL Stars And Stripes And Maple Leaf Music, BMI/Downtown DMP Songs, BMI/Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Red Like The Sunset Music, ASCAP/BMG Platinum Songs, BMI/Songs For Elle, BMI (K.Archer, A.Hambrick, T.Ottoh) 25

SOMETHIN’ I’M GOOD AT Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Paris Not France Music, BMI/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Tomdouglasmusic, BMI (B.Eldredge, T.Douglas) 33

SPEAK TO A GIRL BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd., PRS/You Want How Much Of What Publishing, PRS/Major 3rd Music Publishing Ltd, PRS/Big Deal Beats, BMI/Brodsky Spensive Publishing, BMI/Nice Life, BMI (Shy Carter, D.Gibson, J.Spargur) 23

T

TELL ME WHY Not Listed (Not Listed) 43

TIN MAN Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Pink Dog Publishing, BMI/Beat Up Ford Publishing, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs, BMI/SWMBMGBMI, BMI/Lonesome Vinyl Music, BMI/Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI (M.Lambert, J.Ingram, J.R.Stewart) 27

W

THE WAY I TALK WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Damn Country Music, ASCAP/Thankful For This Music, ASCAP/Pinetucky Road Publishing, ASCAP/Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Round Room Recoreds, ASCAP (J.L.Alexander, B.Hayslip, C.McGill) 42

THE WEEKEND Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Indiana Angel Music, BMI/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Lanercost Publishing, ASCAP (B.Gilbert, A.DeRoberts) 10

WHAT IFS Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Kane Brown Music, BMI/Smacksters Music, ASCAP/Smack Blue, LLC, SESAC/Kobalt Group Music Publishing, SESAC/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Freshy Music, ASCAP/We-Volve Music, ASCAP (K.Brown, M.McGinn, J.M.Schmidt) 32

Y

YEAH BOY Songs Of Black River, ASCAP/KNB Music, ASCAP/Songs Of Blue Guitar, BMI (K.Ballerini, F.G.Whitehead, K.Timmer) 9

YOU LOOK GOOD HillarodyRathbone Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Lake Allegan Pub Club, ASCAP/7189 Music Publishing, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs, BMI (H.Lindsey, R.Hurd, busbee) 18

YOURS IF YOU WANT IT Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Morendorffin Music, BMI/Super Big Music, ASCAP/Jett Music, ASCAP (A.Dorff, J.Singleton) 21

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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MAY 15, 2017 | PAGE 19 OF 20

Hot Country Songs IndexA

ACT LIKE YOU DON’T Magic Mustang Music Inc., BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/American Daughter Music, BMI/Castle Bound Music, Inc., SESAC/We Be Pawtying, SESAC/Rio Bravo Music, Inc., BMI/Telemitry Productions, BMI (B.Eden, C.R.Barlowe, J.Frasure) 56

ASK ME HOW I KNOW Roy Rivers Publishing, BMI (M.Rossell) 35

B

BLACK Big White Tracks, ASCAP/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Songs By Red Room, BMI/Combustion Engine Music, ASCAP/Sadie’s Favorite Songs, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP (D.Bentley, R.Copperman, A.Gorley) 5

BODY LIKE A BACK ROAD Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Sam Hunt Publishing, ASCAP/Highly Combustible Music, ASCAP/I Love Pizza Music, ASCAP/Songs Of Southside Independent Music Publishing, LLC, ASCAP/Who Wants To Buy My Publishing, ASCAP/Atlas Music Publishing, ASCAP/Anderson Fork In The Road Music, ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Publishing America, Inc., ASCAP/Smack Hits, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR (S.Hunt, Z.Crowell, J.Osborne, S.McAnally) 2

C

CALIFORNIA J Money Music, ASCAP/Big Loud Proud Crowd, BMI/Magic Mustang Music Inc., BMI/Victown Music, BMI (J.D.Rich, R.Clawson, V.McGehee) 45

CRAVING YOU BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Lawnwranglers, ASCAP/Dragon Bunny Music, BMI (D.M.Barnes, J.Bunetta) 14

D

DO I MAKE YOU WANNA External Combustion Music, ASCAP/Songs Of Southside Independent Music Publishing, LLC, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Atlas Music Publishing, ASCAP/Who Wants To Buy My Publishing, ASCAP (A.Gorley, Z.Crowell, M.Jenkins, J.Flowers) 22

DRINKIN’ PROBLEM WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Jess Carson Publishing Designee, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Vaqueros Galacticos Publishing, BMI/Tropical Cowboy Publishing, ASCAP/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Songs Publishing America, Inc., ASCAP/Songs Of Black River, ASCAP/One Little Indian Creek Music, ASCAP (J.Carson, C.Duddy, M.Wystrach, S.McAnally, J.Osborne) 17

E

EITHER WAY WB Music Corp., ASCAP/New Sea Gayle Music, ASCAP/Spirit Catalog Holdings, S.a.r.l./Spirit Two Nashville, ASCAP/Music Of Windswept, ASCAP/3 Ring Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Songs Of Windswept Pacific, BMI/Songs Of Thortch, BMI (C.Stapleton, Tim James, K.Marvel) 40

EVERY LITTLE THING BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/For The Kids Platinum, BMI/7189 Music Publishing, BMI/Better Boat Music, BMI/Songs Of Endurance, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI (C.Pearce, bus-bee, E.Shackelton) 38

EVERY TIME I HEAR THAT SONG Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/The Queen Of Dot Dot Dot, BMI/Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Chris Lindsey Songs, ASCAP/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Sagequinnjude Music, BMI/Famlove Songs, BMI (A.Mayo, C.Lindsey, B.Warren, B.Warren) 10

F

THE FIGHTER Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Mary Rose Music, BMI/7189 Music Publishing, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs, BMI (K.Urban, busbee) 11

FLATLINER Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Colden Rainey Music, BMI/Forest For The Trees Music, SESAC/So Essential Tunes, SESAC/Peertunes, Ltd., SESAC/Jaron Boyer Music, SESAC (C.Swindell, M.Bronleewe, J.Boyer) 16

TITLE Publishing-Licensing Org. (Songwriter) Chart Position

FOR HER Round Hill Songs BLS JV, ASCAP/Big Loud Proud Songs, ASCAP/Downtown DMP Songs, BMI/Stars And Stripes And Maple Leaf Music, BMI/Bux Tone Music, BMI (M.Dragstrem, K.Archer, S.Buxton) 23

G

GETTING OVER YOU Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Clemmer Time Music, BMI/Chill N Hustle, BMI/Wixen Music Publishing, BMI/Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/New House Of Sea Gayle Music, ASCAP (J.Lee, P.DiGiovanni, B.Anderson) 55

A GIRL LIKE YOU Combustion Engine Music, ASCAP/Sadie’s Favorite Songs, ASCAP/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Rio Bravo Music, Inc., BMI/Telemitry Productions, BMI/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI (A.Gorley, J.Frasure, R.Akins) 34

GOD, YOUR MAMA, AND ME Year Of The Dog Music, ASCAP/Champagne Whiskey Publishing, BMI/HillarodyRathbone Music, ASCAP/BMG Firefly, ASCAP/Dash8 Music, ASCAP (J.Kear, H.Lindsey, G.Sampson) 9

GOOD COMPANY Curb Congregation Songs, SESAC/Sixteen Stars Music, BMI/HoriPro Entertainment Group, Inc., BMI/Big Deal Beats, BMI (M.Alderman, T.Cecil, J.Mullins) 51

GREATEST LOVE STORY Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Concession 114 Music, BMI/Neon Cross Music, BMI (B.Lancaster) 52

H

HAPPY PEOPLE Maps And Records Music, BMI/Creative Pulse Music, BMI/These Are Pulse Songs, BMI/Scrambler Music, ASCAP/Carnival Beats, ASCAP (L.McKenna, H.Whitters) 47

HEARTACHE ON THE DANCE FLOOR Golden Vault Music, BMI/Rancho Fiesta Music, BMI/Bill Butler Music, BMI/Blongsongs, ASCAP (J.Pardi, B.Butler, B.Long) 33

HOW NOT TO Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Red Like The Sunset Music, ASCAP/Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Paulywood Music, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Tunes LLC, ASCAP/Kevin Bard Music, ASCAP (A.Hambrick, P.DiGiovanni, K.Bard) 8

HURRICANE 50 Egg, BMI/Straight Dimes, BMI/Big Machine Music, BMI/Intune Publishing, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs, BMI (L.Combs, T.Phillips, T.Archer) 1

I

I COULD USE A LOVE SONG International Dog Music, BMI/Round Hill Songs Jimmy Robbins, ASCAP/Jammy Rabbins Music, ASCAP/Extraordinary Alien Publishing, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Oh Denise Publishing, BMI/Big Music Machine, BMI (M.Morris, J.Robbins, L.Veltz) 29

IF I TOLD YOU EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Songs By Red Room, BMI/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/Jon Mark Nite Music, ASCAP/Smack Hits, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR (R.Copperman, J.M.Nite, S.McAnally) 6

IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW Super Big Music, ASCAP/Caliville Publishing, ASCAP/Brown Hound Publishing, BMI/Kyle Schlienger Productions, ASCAP/Big Spaces Music, BMI/Bootheel Music, BMI/Big Mosquito Music, BMI/Amplified Admin., BMI (B.Young, T.Reeve, K.Schilenger, T.Tomlinson) 3

IT AIN’T MY FAULT WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Trampy McCauley, ASCAP/All The Kings Pens, ASCAP/Songstein Publishing, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/The Country And Western Music, BMI (J. Osborne, T.J. Osborne, L.T.Miller) 24

J

JUST A PHASE Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/EMI Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd., APRA/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/Dontcallmebrett Musicm, BMI (A.Craig, L.Rimes, J.Beavers) 46

L

LAST TIME FOR EVERYTHING New House Of Sea Gayle Music, ASCAP/Songs For Margo, ASCAP (B.Paisley, S.Ahnquist, B.Anderson, C.DuBois, M.Ryan) 41

LOSING SLEEP EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Goodbye Pants Music, BMI/EMI Foray Music, SESAC/Write 2 Be Free Music, SESAC/Words And Trouble, BMI (C.Young, J.Hoge, C. DeStefano) 59

LOVE AGAIN Castle Bound Music, Inc., SESAC/We Be Pawtying, SESAC/Rio Bravo Music, Inc., BMI/Telemitry Productions, BMI/Super Big Music, ASCAP/Caliville Publishing, ASCAP (C.R.Barlowe, J.Frasure, B.Young) 49

M

MAKIN’ ME LOOK GOOD AGAIN EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/Reverend Jack Music, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Dixey Bar Music, BMI/Code Six Charles Music, BMI (D.White, M.Criswell, S.Minor) 26

MISSING EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/The Good The Bad The Ugly Publishing, BMI (R.Akins, M.Green) 30

MORE GIRLS LIKE YOU WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Point Break Publishing, ASCAP/Music Of The Corn, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Jack 10 Publishing, BMI/Songs Of Cornman, BMI/Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing, ASCAP/D Soul Music, ASCAP/Capitol CMG Genesis, ASCAP (K.Moore, S.L.Olsen, J.Miller, D.A.Garcia) 25

MY GIRL Curb Songs, ASCAP/Songs Of Black River, ASCAP (D.Scott, J.Kerr) 13

MY OLD MAN Day For The Dead Publishing, SESAC/Simonetti Music Publishing, SESAC/Siva Moon Publishing, SESAC/W.B.M. Music Corp., SESAC (Z.Brown, N.Moon, B.Simonetti) 18

N

NO SUCH THING AS A BROKEN HEART Smackville Music, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Publishing America, Inc., ASCAP/ReHits Music, Inc., ASCAP/Smacktown Music, ASCAP/Smack Blue, LLC, SESAC/Unfair Entertainment, ASCAP/Big Deal Notes, ASCAP/Wooden Ships, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Telemitry Productions, BMI/Songs Of Roc Nation Music, BMI (M.Ramsey, T. Rosen, B.Tursi, J.Frasure) 21

O

OUTTA STYLE Tunes From HTK, BMI (A.Watson) 36

P

PREACHIN’ TO THE CHOIR Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Heather Feather Songs, BMI/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Round Hill Works, BMI/Big Loud Proud Crowd, BMI/Big Loud Brad Music, BMI/Big Loud Brett Songs, BMI (H.Morgan, M.Wallen, B.Warren, B.Warren) 58

R

REBOUND Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Goes Something Like THIS Music, BMI/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Thankful For This Music, ASCAP/DrumBum Music, ASCAP (D.Baldridge, E.Weisband, S.Simonton) 54

RING ON EVERY FINGER Big Machine Music, BMI/Big Yellow Dog Music, ASCAP/Major Bob Music, Inc., ASCAP/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Cricket On The Line, BMI (Thomas Rhett, J.Kear, J.Frasure) 31

ROUND HERE BUZZ Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Longer And Louder Music, BMI/Little Lounder Songs, BMI/Mammaw’s Fried Okra Music, BMI/Emileon Songs, BMI (E.Church, J.Hyde, L.Dick) 37

S

SHE’S WITH ME Spruce Road Publishing, GMR/Sony/ATV Tunes, GMR/Centricity Tunes, GMR/CentricSongs, SESAC/The Stennis Mightier Music, BMI/Young Guns Publishing, LLC, BMI/Dead Aim Music, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI (B.Rempel, S.Mosley, B.Stennis) 48

SMALL TOWN BOY EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Thankful For This Music, ASCAP/Play It Again Entertainment, BMI/Round Hill Works, BMI (R.Akins, B.Hayslip, K.Fishman) 28

SOMEBODY ELSE WILL Stars And Stripes And Maple Leaf Music, BMI/Downtown DMP Songs, BMI/Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Red Like The Sunset Music, ASCAP/BMG Platinum Songs, BMI/Songs For Elle, BMI (K.Archer, A.Hambrick, T.Ottoh) 19

SOMETHIN’ I’M GOOD AT Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Paris Not France Music, BMI/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Tomdouglasmusic, BMI (B.Eldredge, T.Douglas) 27

SPEAK TO A GIRL BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd., PRS/You Want How Much Of What Publishing, PRS/Major 3rd Music Publishing Ltd, PRS/Big Deal Beats, BMI/Brodsky Spensive Publishing, BMI/Nice Life, BMI (Shy Carter, D.Gibson, J.Spargur) 20

SUNDAY MORNING Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Songs By JMT, BMI/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Rezolant Music, BMI/Anderson Fork In The Road Music, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Publishing America, Inc., ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP (M.Thomas, R.Copperman, J.Osborne) 60

T

THEY CAN’T SEE Peertunes, Ltd., SESAC/MTNoize, SESAC/Jaron Boyer Music, SESAC/Scribblin’ Dixie Music, ASCAP (M.Tyler, J.Boyer, B.Hood) 57

THEY DON’T KNOW Peertunes, Ltd., SESAC/Jaron Boyer Music, SESAC/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Music Of The Corn, ASCAP/This Is Magic Mustang Music, ASCAP (J.Boyer, J.Mirenda, K.Allison) 43

TIL TOMORROW Extremely Corrosive Music, BMI/Music Of Atlas Holdings, BMI/On Cor Music, BMI/PAJ Music, BMI/Write Write Write Music, SESAC/Batter’s Box, SESAC/Old Guns And Young Bulletts, SESAC (J.Walker, J.McGuire, B.Carper, T.Matthews) 50

TIN MAN Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Pink Dog Publishing, BMI/Beat Up Ford Publishing, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs, BMI/SWMBMGBMI, BMI/Lonesome Vinyl Music, BMI/Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI (M.Lambert, J.Ingram, J.R.Stewart) 39

W

THE WAY I TALK WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Damn Country Music, ASCAP/Thankful For This Music, ASCAP/Pinetucky Road Publishing, ASCAP/Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Round Room Recoreds, ASCAP (J.L.Alexander, B.Hayslip, C.McGill) 32

THE WEEKEND Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Indiana Angel Music, BMI/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Lanercost Publishing, ASCAP (B.Gilbert, A.DeRoberts) 7

WHAT IFS Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Kane Brown Music, BMI/Smacksters Music, ASCAP/Smack Blue, LLC, SESAC/Kobalt Group Music Publishing, SESAC/WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Freshy Music, ASCAP/We-Volve Music, ASCAP (K.Brown, M.McGinn, J.M.Schmidt) 42

WOKE UP IN NASHVILLE WB Music Corp., ASCAP/Charged Kitsune Music, ASCAP/Songs From The Rose Hotel, ASCAP/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Skull Town Sounds, BMI/Weddings Music, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI (S.Ennis, B.Daly, D.H.Hodges) 44

Y

YEAH BOY Songs Of Black River, ASCAP/KNB Music, ASCAP/Songs Of Blue Guitar, BMI (K.Ballerini, F.G.Whitehead, K.Timmer) 4

YOU LOOK GOOD HillarodyRathbone Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Lake Allegan Pub Club, ASCAP/7189 Music Publishing, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs, BMI (H.Lindsey, R.Hurd, busbee) 15

YOURS Hillbilly Science And Research Publishing, SESAC/Trailerlily Music, SESAC/So Essential Tunes, SESAC/Not Just Another Song Publishing, SESAC/BMG Platinum Songs, BMI/Kailey’s Dream, BMI (P.Welling, C.Brown, R.Dickerson) 53

YOURS IF YOU WANT IT Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Morendorffin Music, BMI/Super Big Music, ASCAP/Jett Music, ASCAP (A.Dorff, J.Singleton) 12

BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MAY 15, 2017 | PAGE 20 OF 20

On May 17, 1975, B.J. Thomas’ “(Hey Won’t You Play) A nother

Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song” climbed 2-1 on Hot Country Songs. The mass-appeal hit had topped the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 three weeks earlier.

While “Wrong,” written by Chips Moman (who also produced it) and Larry Butler, marked the first Hot Country Songs appearance for then-33-year-old Billy Joe Thomas, he was already known for pop stardom.

“Wrong” was his second of two Hot 10 0 leaders, follow ing 1970’s

“R aindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head,” written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach.

“Wrong” set Thomas’ crossover success in motion. It was his first of three Hot Country Songs No. 1s:

“What Ever Happened to Old Fash-ioned Love” and “New Looks From an Old Lover” both led in 1983. He has logged 16 appearances on Hot Country Songs and eight on Top Country Albums.

Now 74, Thomas, who has been married to Gloria Richardson since 1968, released his most recent LP, The Living Room Sessions — which reached No. 39 on Top Country Al-bums — in 2013. The unplugged set sports rerecordings of many of his hits, including “Wrong.”

—JIM ASKER

42 Years AgoB.J. Thomas Could Do No ‘Wrong’In 1975, he scored a No. 1 single with his format debut that sparked a crossover career

Thomas, circa 1970.

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